Just when I thought that it was going to be impossible to come up with a design for our Christmas decorating theme of snowmen, I finally found a snowman tree topper. Each year I choose a different theme for our holiday decorations. One year it may be angles and the next it may focus on silver bells.

I have always wanted to create a theme centered on snowmen, but I had trouble getting some of the traditional decorations in this theme. One elusive item in particular had me really scrambling for ideas. I couldn’t find a snowman tree topper anywhere. I searched in every place that carried Christmas decorations with no luck.

My search for the snowman tree topper began at my local mall. Stores like Hallmark are wonderful for stocking such interesting items. I had no trouble at all stocking up on snowmen of a different shapes and styles in this store. These included beautiful ornaments as well as decorative Christmas items for around the house.

The Hallmark store served as a great place to start and I was feeling confident that I was going to get all of my Christmas decorations for the home in no time at all. That was until I discovered that I was still missing a snowman tree topper for the evergreen. Nothing less would do so I kept shopping.

I traveled from one end of the mall to the other with no luck. I found plenty of other snowmen items in the various department stores and specialty stores but not one snowman tree topper in any of the stores. This was a little frustrating. However, there were plenty of other places to look.

Our town boasts a plethora of little storefronts that have a lot of hard to find items. Many of these stores offer great Christmas decorations that you simply can not find anywhere else. None of these wonderful little shops had a single snowman tree topper. One of the sales associates mentioned that the object is unusual and not many people request to have a snowman figure on the top of the tree.

The unusual request may be a little odd, but I figured that someone somewhere would be such a fan of snowmen that such an item would be made. The snowman tree topper was out there and it took the World Wide Web as a hunting tool for me to find the elusive Christmas decoration.  Not only did I find my snowman tree topper, I found one with a glass body that lets a beautiful arrangement of colored lights show through. All of that searching paid off.

Films directed by Tim Burton have become something of a cult and this is shown in the amount of interest there is in “Nightmare Before Christmas” collectibles. This animated feature has many interesting characters and tells the story of Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King, who is responsible for organizing Halloween every year. Jack becomes bored and gets involved with Christmas instead. His misadventures make him go back to his comfortable world of Halloween.

Action figures are very popular in the series, particularly those for Jack, Sally, Dr Finklestein and Oogie Boogie. Jack’s version of Father Christmas, Santa Jack, is also a best seller. “The Nightmare Before Christmas” figures come with a display stand. Clothing and bags are also in the range. Young people like to wear the hooded jackets, t-shirts, and backpacks embroidered with the characters. A scarf, beanie hat and gloves set is also available.

There are some unusual Gothic pieces of memorabilia from the movie, including a pewter candelabra and a set of Christmas Tree Ornaments. The yuletide theme is continued with a Wind Up Jack on a Snowmobile toy. Nightmare Before Christmas Jack Mask sets add a macabre touch to one’s décor! They can be mounted on the wall and they feature Jack with five different expressions, made from porcelain. There are also Oogie Boogie, Jack and Zero the dog Head Knockers. Jack and Sally resin bookends are useful, decorative items.

Other merchandise includes key rings, purses, wallets, calendars, jumbo pencil sets, watches and jewelry. Movie posters are also popular and will be valuable collectibles in the future. Budding guitarists can also involve themselves with “Nightmare Before Christmas” memorabilia by collecting holographic guitar picks. For the really ardent fans, there are six-foot life size inflatables of Jack and Sally. They make a charming couple!

Each year, Halloween is much anticipated and it can be made even more special with a “Nightmare Before Christmas” Halloween Village. This comes complete with lighted buildings as shown in the film, including Jack’s house, the Town Hall in Halloween Town, and the houses of the witch, the bat and the cat. There is also Dr Finklestein’s spooky laboratory. The figures in the village include Jack and the good doctor and are all handcrafted. “Nightmare Before Christmas” collectibles are a lot of fun for both adults and children and they bring the movie to life. They are made to a high quality standard and add an unusual touch to any home.