10 Christmas ornaments that perfectly sum up 2020
Honoring quarantine life, from the TP crisis to Fauci's facepalm
Credit:
Albright Illustration / Peppercorn Princess
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It's hard to argue that 2020 hasn't been a tough year on many fronts, from social unrest and natural disasters to our political climate and COVID-19. But, we believe you've got to be able to smile when you're down, and many brands and local makers are out to do so, especially when it comes to COVID-19.
Google Trends indicates that consumers have started to search for coronavirus Christmas ornaments months before the holiday season begins. So, move over tinsel and snowflakes, this year it's about decorating with face masks and hand sanitizer.
If you want to put a warm and fuzzy spin on the fire and brimstone we've been dealing with, we recommend donating to a highly rated charity offering COVID-19 relief and then jazzing up your tree with one or more of these 10 highly-rated ornaments now before they sell out—because they’re going to be a hot item this holiday season.
1. Quarantine life
Social distancing and quarantine have been two unexpected experiences of 2020.
We’ve been practicing social distancing since March, and yeah, we’re totally sick of it. But this Christmas, face it and embrace it with a tree ornament dedicated to our new normal. Your immediate family members may covet it during your annual Yankee Swap, or it may serve as a gentle reminder in years to come of the Christmas that barely was.
- Get the Earth Under Lockdown Ornament at Amazon for $13.99
- Get 2020 Quarantine Family Christmas Ornament at Rubi & Lib for $9
- Get the Quarantine Life Ornament at OrnamentShop.com for $9.59
2. The 2020 toilet paper crisis
Thanks to COVID-19, toilet paper—or lack thereof—was the immediate concern for many consumers in 2020.
When sh*t hit the metaphorical fan during the pandemic’s early days, demand for essentials blew up and our supply chains crapped out. (So many puns!) As we all know, toilet paper—or lack thereof—was the immediate concern for many consumers. If you ran out of stock back then, one of these ornaments will remind you to always have TP on your wishlist.
- Get Peppercorn Princess’ I Survived Toilet Paper Shortage Ornament at Etsy for $14
- Get the I Love You More Than Toilet Paper Ornament at Poshmark for $15
3. Dr. Anthony Fauci
Dr. Fauci brings the Coronavirus Task Force to your home this holiday.
The facepalm seen ‘round the world has only added to the widespread likeability of COVID-19 cautioner and National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director Dr. Anthony Fauci. As part of the President’s Coronavirus Task Force, he’s often been positioned beside Trump during White House briefings, imparting updates and warnings to the American people, many of them famously counter to POTUS summations.
- Get Kurt Adler’s Dr. Fauci Keep Calm Ornament at OrnamentShop.com for $14.39
- Get Albright Illustration's Dr. Fauci Facepalm Ornament at Etsy for $15
4. The coronavirus
The new coronavirus is so named for the crownlike tentacles that it causes to grow from the surface of infected cells.
What would a quarantine commemorative moment be without recognizing the virus that started it all? The new coronavirus is named for the crownlike tentacles that it causes to grow from the surface of infected cells. When enlarged, the real thing is a pretty gnarly sight, and you can capture it this Christmas in blown glass, acrylic, yarn, and more.
- Get James Tabor Creations' COVID Air Freshener Ornament at Etsy for $8.95
- Get Coronavirus Virus Spreading Ornament at Zazzle for $13.70
- Get Lampwork Bench’s Blown Glass Virus Sculpture Ornament at Etsy for $54.50
- Get Novelstuffs COVID Acrylic Ornament at Amazon for $17.99
5. Essential workers
Show the doctors, nurses, teachers, and other essential workers that you know how much you care.
Whether you hang it on your own tree or give it to a special essential worker in your life, an ornament honoring this past year’s front-line heroes—from doctors, nurses, and EMTs to teachers, delivery people, and grocery store workers—gives an even bigger warm and fuzzy feeling to holiday cheer.
- Get the Modern Heroes Ornaments, Set of 4 at MoMA Design Store for $45
- Get the Dr. Claus Cares Ornament at Christopher Radko for $60
6. Face masks
It feels like a face mask Christmas ornament is an essential this year.
By now, we’ve all got nearly as many face masks as we do pairs of socks: favorite face masks, fashionable face masks, and some we don’t like at all. It’s hard to predict how long they’ll continue to be part of our wardrobes, but a mask-spirited Christmas ornament can be part of your yuletide for years to come.
- Get CookieDough Creations’ Year of the Mask Ornament at Etsy for $11.95
- Get Liz King Designs’ Mini Mask 2020 Ornament at Etsy for $14.50
- Get Official Flutter House’s Wear A Damn Mask Ornament at Etsy for $8.50
7. Remote learning
Did you become a home school teacher in the spring? This one is for you.
If you’ve got kids, grandkids, or other little ones underfoot, you likely won a job you never trained for when school went virtual en masse last spring. Will this badge of honor make the frustration and the tears worth it? We can try.
Get Hot Mess Mom Apparel’s Homeschool Teacher of the Year Ornament at Etsy for $8
8. The remote or postponed wedding
Weddings were certainly different this year.
Brides-to-be across the nation postponed their weddings, rescheduling them—only to have to cancel them again. Some ended up saying marriage vows in a backyard with a few family members, while others have their fingers crossed for 2021. Either way, the big day is one never to be forgotten.
- Get Peppercorn Princess’s Just Married with Masks ornament at Etsy for $14
- Get the Andaz Press Almost Married Ornament at Amazon for $22.99
- Get Fine Makings4U’s First Christmas Mr. & Mrs. Face Mask Ornament at Etsy for $19.99
- Get The Gold Wren’s Corona Bride Ornament at Etsy for $16.49
9. Hand sanitizer
Hand sanitizer keeps your hands clean and your holiday guests laughing.
Your purse or backpack, the car console, the bathroom sink, your Christmas tree: What do all these places have in common? In 2020, they’re each home to a bottle of hand sanitizer, hospital-grade, bedazzled or otherwise.
- Get Old World Christmas’ Hand Sanitizer Ornament at Traditions for $19.99
- Get Plum Dandy Goods’ 2020 Purhell Ornament at Etsy for $6
10. COVID-19 Santa
COVID-19 affects Santa, too! He's used to social distancing, but it's not often that toilet paper is the year's hottest gift.
It only makes sense that Santa would want to get in on the action, whether he’s putting toilet paper under the tree or donning a face mask while riding his sleigh to help reduce the spread.
- Get Old World Christmas’ Santa With Face Mask Ornament at Callisters Christmas for $21.99
- Get Albright Illustration’s Toilet Paper Santa Claus at Etsy for $15
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