Hallmark Ornaments by Tom Best

Tom Best’s contribution to Hallmark Keepsake Ornaments is best understood through the variety of stories represented in the finished designs. The documented catalog contains 289 distinct designs dated 2004 through 2026. Especially visible are connections to Frosty Friends, Club Ornaments, Nostalgic Houses, Peanuts, and Wizard of Oz; together, those collections show an ability to move between recurring series expectations and one-year subjects.

Frosty Friends provides one of the clearest ways to follow the work; Club Ornaments highlights a different side of the portfolio; Ornaments such as 2004 A Wish for Peace, Club Exclusive, 2014 Happy BIG Birthday!, and 2019 Bitty Beer Stein, Miniature mark useful points in the chronology. Seen as a group, the ornaments show an artist responding to many different briefs without losing the warmth expected from a holiday keepsake.