A Selection of Hallmark Ornaments: Technology

Parents could document family events with camcorders beginning in the mid-1980s. These handheld cameras recorded directly onto videotape cassettes, but the early ones tended to be heavy and bulky. This Hallmark ornament depicts a videotaping Teddy Bear Dad. It would have been a perfect gift for the proud father who insisted on capturing his child's antics and milestones with his camcorder — despite its weight.

Cellphones were in common use when this "Cell-ebrate" ornament was released in 2007. Arranged in the shape of a Christmas tree, these festive phones sport holiday-themed text messages — "Mery Xmas 2U" and "hapi nuyr!" — in true texting "shorthand." There are even emoticons of Santa and a snowman.

Listeners downloaded digital music into an mp3 player — a slim, small device that could hold more tunes than other large, clunkier devices that used physical media. This Hallmark ornament plays four holiday songs from different music genres: jazz, country, hip-hop, and classic rock. 

The United States government started the Global Positioning System, or GPS — a satellite-based navigation system — in the 1970s. Hallmark created this ornament depicting a Santa Tracking System to let children of all ages follow Santa's activities — working, snacking, or heading out in his sleigh for the big evening.