As the mighty Star Wars merchandising/marketing avalanche invades, one of the most common and popular items standing out this holiday season are ornaments! Star Wars and holiday ornaments go hand in hand as a cool and popular way for geeks to revel during the holidays. Ever since Hallmark started producing them during the mid 1990s, they have created the best Star Wars ornaments. From the very first, single ornament released back in 1996 (the Millennium Falcon) the market has exploded with the large variety of Star Wars Hallmark ornaments. These are the best of that Hallmark has created:

Characters/Dioramas

10. Admiral Ackbar (2015): One of the best limited edition Star Wars Hallmark ornaments was devoted to the amphibian Rebel leader. The sculpt was a perfect reproduction of Admiral Ackbar.  

9. A Deadly Duel (2009): Despite the disrespect the prequels get, one thing everyone enjoyed was the climatic duel where Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi battled Darth Maul. This ornament perfectly captured that thrilling moment in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace.

8. Luke Skywalker and Yoda (2006): This dual character ornament is the ideal blending of two characters since it represented Luke’s Jedi training on Dagobah and Yoda’s iconic teachable moments.

7. Chewbacca (1999): Everyone’s favorite Wookiee was one of the best solo character ornaments and fits perfectly on a Christmas tree. After all, Chewbacca’s from an arboreal world.

6. Han Solo to the Rescue (2012): This Star Wars Hallmark ornament of Han Solo in his cold weather gear atop a tauntaun just looks perfect hanging from a Christmas tree or even on your desk.

5. An Epic Vision, a Star Wars Celebration (2015): The best limited edition Star Wars Hallmark ornament is also one of the rarest and a true treasure. The sculpts eerily recreate Ralph McQuarrie’s famous pre-production art for the first Star Wars film.

4. Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi (2005): Colorful and striking with flaring lava plumes, this ornament is a superb recreation of the epic final battle between the Jedi and his former apprentice. Features powerful dialogue and clashing lighsaber sounds.

3. Darth Vader (1997): The first Darth Vader ornament is still the best one. Lord Vader stands imposingly on a lit base with his glowing red lightsaber. It doesn’t get any better though future ornaments like the Rise of Lord Vader (2014) and the Darth Vader Peekbuster came close.

2. Yoda Peekbuster (2014): Hallmark first launched this motion sensor ornament in 2012 with a Darth Vader Peekbuster. The concept is simple, you walk by and the ornament would talk to you, warning you away from the presents. The Yoda Peekbuster is superior because the little green Jedi Master better captures the spirit of the holidays and can be thought of as an honorary elf.

1. The Adventure Begins (2007): This one is a bit of a cheat since it features a spaceship, the Millennium Falcon, but it’s a terrific diorama. It depicts the moment the Falcon departs from the Mos Eisley spaceport on Tatooine as it whisks off our Rebel heroes on a grand adventure that changes the galaxy. Not only does the Millennium Falcon’s engines light up, but John Williams’ legendary Star Wars theme blares from this ornament, which is a superb touch.

Ships/Vehicles

10. Darth Vader’s TIE Fighter (1999): This is a rather neat Star Wars ornament, with its best feature being the lit-up cockpit that reveals Darth Vader’s silhouette.

9. The Battle of Naboo (2001): This is the best miniature Star Wars ornament which features the Trade Federation’s starship flanked by tiny Naboo and vulture droid fighters. It was a novel concept for Hallmark and portended to greater Star Wars ornaments.

8.  The Death Star (2017): Incredibly, it’s the first time we’ve gotten a full-size ornament of the original Death Star. And it is wildly impressive thanks to sounds and lights that accurately depict the infamous battle station.

7. Slave I (2011): Boba Fett’s weird vertical spaceship gets some love from Hallmark with this ornament. As always, Hallmark went the extra step to faithfully recreate the look and sounds of the bounty hunter spaceship.

6. Anakin Skywalker’s Jedi Starfighter (2005): One of the best ships seen in the prequel films was well crafted by Hallmark. Striking due to its design and yellow coloring, the Jedi Starfighter is clearly one of the most underrated Star Wars Hallmark ornaments.

5. T-70 X-Wing Fighter (2016): Poe Dameron’s eye-catching X-Wing fighter with its distinctive black color sets this ornament apart from other X-Wing ornaments. If it lit up like the others it would have rated higher on this list.

4.  Star Destroyer (2004): The last Star Wars Hallmark ornament that plugged into a Christmas tree socket depicts the famous opening moment in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope as the imposing Star Destroyer captures the tiny Rebel blockade runner.

3. Imperial AT-AT and Rebel Snowspeeder (2006): It can be argued that this is more of a diorama but the walker is so prominent it belongs in this category. The walker stands on a snowy base as a tiny Rebel snowspeeder is buzzes around its metal legs. The battle sounds nicely complement this ornament.2. X-Wing Starfighter (2017): This huge ornament improves upon the original X-Wing ornament that came out in 1998. Like the original it lights up but now has sounds and better detailing. This pricey ornament is part of a set that includes Vader’s TIE fighter and the Death Star. When put together the three of them recreate moments from A New Hope with sounds..1. Millennium Falcon (1996): The best Star Wars ship ornament just happens to be the very first one released by Hallmark in 1996. It’s one of the older ornament models that plugs into a Christmas tree’s light socket, but just look at the detailing. The Millennium Falcon looks so real with its dark grey hull, engine and cockpit lighting; this beauty has weight and heft. Thankfully, next year Hallmark will produce a newer version of the ship that made the Kessel run in 12 parsecs.

Walderman Rivera