Hallmark Ornaments and My Shopping Decisions for Ornaments This Year

Every year, I shop for new ornaments to add to my collection. I have my ball ornaments that I don’t replace unless I need to, so I normally shop for more unique ornaments. In years past, my favorite place to shop for these ornaments has been Hallmark. It is a family tradition to shop for ornaments at Hallmark and I budget for it every year. This year, I decided not to shop at Hallmark for my ornaments.

Since shopping for at least one ornament at Hallmark is a family tradition, my decision to not shop there this year was one I wasn’t expecting. It is one of the ways I remember a relative and happy memories of Christmas with them. I don’t have very many happy memories with them (I didn’t get along with them as much as I wish we did or anyone outside my family believed) so to carry on one of the happiest memories with them is important. That doesn’t mean that those traditions can’t change.

Growing up I wanted to own more crystal and fine ornaments. Hallmark fit into that category, but what I was really looking at was the ornaments from brands like Waterford, Lenox, and Swarovski. These ornaments are pretty pricey so I had to make a decision: Buy Hallmark or buy the ornaments I really want to own. I usually settled on Hallmark, but, like I already said, this year is different.

This year, I didn’t like any of the ornaments this year. Instead of thinking of all the ornaments I wanted from Hallmark, I thought of the higher end ornaments I could buy for the same price. Some of them would cost more, but I wanted to own them more.

In addition to this, I am worried about how much money I will spend on new holiday decor. I wanted to purchase decor that I would use for years and won’t be following a trend I don’t want to live with next year. Shopping for the type of ornaments that I know I will use every year are the kind of ornaments I want to own. Unfortunately, Hallmark’s ornaments are not those kind of ornaments.

I’m pretty sure this year was an off year for me and their ornaments, but I am happy with the ornaments I have purchased form other brands. I was able to find Swarovski annual ornaments from previous years that cost less than some of the Hallmark ornaments I saw for sale. Same goes for Lenox and other high end china brands that also sells ornaments. I really like the ornaments I now own and their cost.

I’m really happy I decided to break from my tradition and shop for ornaments aside from Hallmark. I enjoy owning the ornaments I purchased and the prices of them. I’ll try to shop at Hallmark next year, but I will also keep my eye out for other brands.

That’s all for now! Thank you for reading!

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