The Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation has opened a year-round exhibit of nearly 7,000 Hallmark Keepsake Ornaments. Photo provided by The Henry Ford Museum.

Staff Report

KOSCIUSKO COUNTY — The Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation opened a permanent holiday exhibit on Nov. 20, known as Miniature Moments: A Journey Through Hallmark Keepsake Ornaments, to keep the joy of Christmastime alive year-round.

The exhibit consists of nearly 7,000 Hallmark ornaments made between the time Hallmark revolutionized Christmas decorating in 1973 and 2009.

The Henry Ford Museum acquired this collection in 2019 from Indiana Hallmark retailer The Party Shop, which was a family-owned Hallmark Gold Crown Store in Warsaw. The collection was started in 1978 by Norm and Dorothy Snyder and displayed in the store. Many Kosciusko County residents got to watch the collection grow over the years and for many Hallmark Keepsake Ornament collectors, the store was quite a destination.

As the first line of ornaments consisted of six minimalistic glass ball ornaments and 12 yarn figures, the exhibit shows just how much progress has been made in creating these ornaments. Now, the ornaments range from TV show figurines to light-up keepsakes that can move, play music or talk.

When the first line of the Keepsake ornaments was released, the company claimed their intention was to “capture meaningful moments, honor special relationships, express who you are and help you relive timeless memories, year after year.”

After announcing that their 41 years of business would be coming to an end and the location would be closing, the owners decided to contact the museum in hopes the exhibit could be preserved and displayed elsewhere.

With the Miniature Moments exhibit open to the public, these ornaments still serve their initial purpose; the display allows visitors to relive holiday memories, remember special people and events and find some new inspiration for their own holiday traditions.

The Miniature Moments exhibit is included with admission to Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation and is free for members. The museum is located at 20900 Oakwood Blvd., Dearborn, Mich.