I am not a Christmas ornament collector, but I find myself continually drawn to purchasing these keepsake ornaments from Hallmark, especially when they tap into the nostalgia of my Gen X roots. Recently, Hallmark reissued one of their popular ornaments: the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). You can see it in action here in my latest review.
Upon unboxing the ornament, I noticed the attention to detail that Hallmark has put into replicating the NES console. I have previously acquired the Sega Genesis and Dreamcast ornaments, and this NES one will fit in very nicely with the others. The ornament comes with pen batteries for sound and light, and the hook for hanging it is placed on the controllers, which are fixed to the top of the console.
The ornament is a striking resemblance to the real Nintendo console. It includes a non-removeable Super Mario Brothers cartridge inside, complete with a working door. The power button works and will illuminate the LED power light and play some sounds from the original Super Mario Bros. The reset button is just for show. The back of the ornament features all the ports in their correct places, making it a very accurate representation of the retro console.
The quantities of these ornaments are usually limited, so it’s wise to pick one up before they sell out. This NES ornament has quickly become one of my favorites in my collection.