1. "Welcome to 2000" came from Hallmark. Uniquely, it's dated 1999 and 2000, and it shows the Old Man of the past year deferring to the New Year Baby. Looking at it now, it reminds me of a Mel Brooks character, "The Two-Thousand-Year-Old Man"...I should probably get myself a copy of The Two-Thousand-Year-Old Man in the Year 2000 and write about that.
2. We return to Department 56's pieces with this Times Square model. Uniquely, this is a New Year-themed decoration, not a Christmas one. What strikes me the most is that Department 56 went for a "timeless" look: The front of the building lacks the loud, flashing displays that have become so associated with New Year's Eve, harking back to a time when the building was brand new...and ensuring that it doesn't look out of place with D-56's other models.
As the description states, it boasts an actual working ball, which lights up and drops (is it motorized, or must one set it by hand?); it also looks like the real-life ball that was made especially for the millennium. The top of the building says, "Happy New Year 2000," a mixed blessing in this case--it's nice that they're commemorating the new era, but I would have liked it to be a generic "Happy New Year" display that one can put up every year. No choice but to make do and put numbers over the last two zeroes!
3. Christopher Radko's company has produced blown-glass Christmas ornaments since 1985. This one, Millennium Magic, depicts snowmen frolicking around and within a snow-covered "2000." Nothing special here; just a little bit of fun.
4. Scotland-based Caithness Glass has been in the business of fine glassware since 1961. This paperweight isn't a limited-edition piece. Like the Christopher Radko ornament above, I have very little to say about this one. It combines the World Globe (covered in several other areas) with a clock-face, and...that's about it.
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