1980 Winter's Gift, Ambassador

QX7H This 1980 Hallmark Christmas ornament was released by their subsidiary, Ambassador, as part of The Holiday House Collection, and is a rare find for collectors of this box/brand. Ambassador was a division of Hallmark Cards, Inc. from 1979-1982, and approximately 50 different ornaments were sold in select stores, such as Ben Franklin, Woolworth's, card shops, drug stores and supermarkets. Today, they stand as rare treasures, with their elegant designs and limited availability adding to their collectible allure. The ornament is a white, satin ball with transparent, plastic sleeve, printed with Wintry country scenes and a quote from Robin St. John, noted author of children's books, celebrating the nostalgia and joy of Winter's outdoor activities. One panel is dated "1980," above the wheel of a watermill, and shows a snow-covered, hilltop village with a church, cottages, and a pond. Children are ice-skating, sledding, cutting evergreens for Christmas trees, and building a snowman, while the snowflakes fall all around them. The other side, has a red covered bridge with a fancy-dressed couple, in a horse-drawn carriage, exiting the tunnel, while children ski, build a campfire, play ice hockey, and have snowball fights all around them, on the snow-covered landscape. The quoted caption reads: "Snowflakes and frozen lakes... Winter's special gifts to children." The two panels are bordered in a light blue scallop around the brighter blue solid line, which matches the blue sky and water. The copyright is also dated, and printed in black, in between the panels, on the sleeve. The ornament is packaged in the original "window" box, viewable from all sides, so you can see the entire bulb.

Size

3.756" H x 3.185" D

Material

Plastic

Box Size

4.75" H x 3.75" W x 3.75" D