Hands Full of Glitter and Tofu : 2011 Day 340 - All the new ornaments a boy could want

It's that time of year again! No, not Christmas! Well actually yes it is but more importantly the cyber unveiling if the new fabulous pop culture ornaments I have acquired over the last few months for this year's tree.


There is the usual assortment of Hallmark and Carlton Cards ornaments, plus one I picked up in Tilba in the recent trip down the south coast, and more of the December Diamonds (yes even the name is gay!) Christmas mer-men. Oh the fun-filled glittery excitement! I love them all...

Here's the buff mer-men - one is a buff gorgeously red stud and the other a glittery silver Twink. They join one I bought in San Francisco two years ago. We spotted the new ones in Holy Sheet on King Street, the weekend after I had bemoaned the lack of great quality Christmas in ornaments in Australia and fervently wished I could go back to that wonderful ornaments shop in Sausilito and shop there. Yes the airfare would make the ornaments ridiculously expensive but oh the choice!

Then I saw these guys. Wish granted.

Way down on the south coast of NSW is a small town called Tilba, once famous for cheese but not chock full of cute shops selling a fun array of everything from candles to toys to ornaments. I found this guy in a shop full of some very funky homewares and grabbed him immediately since I was days off starting my new job at the Writers' Centre and he symbolised it beautifully clutching a toppling pile of books. Hopefully it wasn't going to be a portend of my performance in the new job!

Turns out he wasn't the Tilba equivalent of the unlucky Tiki the Brady boys picked up holidaying in Hawai'i and the job has gone awesomely well!


I adore the Me To You bears and I finally found the 8th bear in the series at a Christmas shop in Sans Souci a few weeks back. Colour me very happy!

I adore the Muppets. I have ever since I first set eyes on Sesame Street, and then the Muppet Show, and my first tree is festooned with ornaments of characters like Animal, Kermit, Fozzie and Gonzo plus most of the Sesame Street gang. When I saw Beaker in this year's Hallmark Keepsakes Ornaments book there was no question - he had to be on this year's tree.

Hoops and Yoyo are the unequivocal mascots of my relationship with my partner. It started when I bought a Hoops and Yoyo card for him when I was in San Francisco two years ago, which graduated to Hoops and Yoyo plus toys, photo frames and lots else. Buying the newest hoops and Yoyo each year is now joyously mandatory and the cute recorded messages in each one always make me giggle, and often laugh out loud.

My beautiful man saw this in the Christmas store, along with a red and white striped one, and while he didn't put it in the shopping basket, it was clear he liked it. So I grabbed it and onto the tree it went. It's metal and looks beautiful up against the red tinsel. Good choice babe!

The Muppets again! Big surprise! This time Elmo and Cookie Monster, sitting atop glittery presents and toys and a sheer delight to look at.

And finally, I found this Wicked ornament on Ebay and bought it straight away. No thinking, no equivocating. It was too perfect and showcases my favourite song from the musical.

I always say I have a lot of ornaments (which is true) and I should cut down but somehow I always seem to acquire new ones and I can't imagine that changing. As always the theme is pop culture and as long as they roughly meet that (some very roughly, it's true) then they're in and my tree gets a zhoush of new life.