Yes, I know we've had the Bears, because they are every year, we've had the Nutcrackers, because they've become every year, and the Hedgepigs because they are getting annual, not forgetting the Astronauts, newest theme, but with two new sculpts; also becoming regular now, but I did pick up a few other figural baubles this year, more than I probably should have, but there always seems to be more room on the tree . . . it's a question of putting the largest on first, and the smallest last, after the dangly ones!
This actually breaks a couple of the self-imposed rules, as far as baubles go with me, specifically, the slightly anthropomorphic adoption of a Christmas jumper, and the appliqué pom-pom headdress, however, it was the first one I saw (in the big Marks & Spark's down at the Meadows, Camberley), and not knowing what else I might find, by the end of the season, I bought it, and it's grown on me, so will stay, in fact it looks very smart, but . . . M&S!
Not least because it revealed a trend in the sales/marketing of baubles this year, and - as a result - gave rise to a new theme, which already has four members - Big Cats! It's probably supposed to be a Leopard, but as we will see in a minute, I'm calling it the Cheetah, because of the more moggie-like face!
I then found these in a Charity Shop, i Farnborough, I think? I bought the deer when I first found them, but went back for the other two, as the tree also has a bird theme, and I thought the oak-leaf would be a nice foil to all the pine-cones. They were modern generics with no makers marks or consumer information on their individual boxes, and you wonder what sad tale led to them being 'discarded'?
Speaking of cones, these both came while the hedgehogs and spacemen were being procured, and I can't remember where either was found, but probably both garden centres? The cones are legion, and we may look at them all one day, as there are ancient and modern, and meany designs, while the gingerbread man is a departure for the tree, but he'll be at home with the snowmen and Santa's.
I got this the day I rejected the 'Starman', from the garden centre near Woking, it's another
Gisela Graham, and they also had spotted ones, but using the same Tiger moulding, which was daft as the stripes are sculpted-in - lazy marketing! So I left them on the peg, thinking this would be a better foil for the Cheetah!
Then this came in while I was having a frantic, last-minute two-day search for the star-holder astronaut (whose location, I had forgotten!), and a couple of duplicates to send to a friend, it was a
TKMaxx, late stock addition, and will have to be a Leopard, even if it's meant to be a Cheetah, because . . . see above!
And it came in this set, branded to a
Rachel Zoe with a Lion, so we went from no Big Cats, to four, in one season! But the Lion and Zebra are very pink, more than the photo's suggest, so they will be going to the little white 'gay tree', with all the other pinks.
Leaving the Elephant, who's almost as round as a conventional bauble! I'm not desperately enamoured of him, he's a bit too cartoony, but he has a right to live, and is a bit of fun! All the above are traditional blown-class ornaments.
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