This mini Xbox will make Gregorian chants drift from your Christmas tree this year
An official original Xbox ornament from Hallmark is coming out this year.
Hallmark has revealed a brand-new holiday ornament in the form of a miniature, original Xbox Console. It features a small controller on top of the system complete with a little cable to remind you of the long hours you spent playing classic games back in the day. Plus, it lights up and makes sounds. According to the Hallmark listing, this ornament becomes available on July 13, 2024 and will have a $22.99 MSRP.
Nostalgia and Gregorian chants, what more could you want?
Obviously, the ornament is ridiculously cute to look at, but the charm of adding it to your Christmas tree is greatly enhanced by the fact that the circle in the front lights up when pressed. Plus, the ornament plays the console startup sound followed by theme music from Halo: Combat Evolved — yes, the Gregorian chant from the classic game's menu. I don't know about you, but I can't wait to hear that soothing, deep vocal music issuing from my tree this holiday season. I can already feel the nostalgia. It's going to be awesome.
Now, you're probably wondering how good the speaker on this ornament is, and I am too. After all, Gregorian chant Halo music won't sound good if the speaker isn't decent. However, I have high hopes for it since I personally own the Hallmark Super Nintendo Entertainment System Ornament, which has a very loud and clear speaker. So, I expect the same audio quality for this Xbox Console Ornament.
If you go to the Hallmark listing and look at the photos, you'll find that there's a video that shows someone pressing the console's tiny power button. This activates the little green light and makes sounds issue from the ornament. So, it only makes sounds when you interact with it, unlike a relentless children's toy that won't stop terrorizing your ears long after a kid has stopped playing with it.
I can think of a few people who will be happy to receive this ornament as a gift this December, so I'm looking forward to grabbing a few of these. Of course, you can purchase this mini Xbox decoration from Hallmark. Alternatively, Hallmark ornaments often find their way onto Amazon at some point, so I'm sure we'll be seeing a listing for this Original Xbox Console Ornament show up there later this year. But I just couldn't wait until the holiday season to share this news.
Get the Windows Central Newsletter
All the latest news, reviews, and guides for Windows and Xbox diehards.
Self-professed gaming geek, Rebecca Spear, is one of Windows Central's editors and reviewers with a focus on gaming handhelds, PC gaming, and laptops. When she isn't checking out the latest games on Xbox Game Pass, PC, ROG Ally, or Steam Deck; she can be found digital drawing with a Wacom tablet. She's written thousands of articles with everything from editorials, reviews, previews, features, previews, and hardware reviews over the last few years. If you need information about anything gaming-related, her articles can help you out. She also loves testing game accessories and any new tech on the market. You can follow her @rrspear on X (formerly Twitter).