HALIFAX -- COVID Christmas ornaments are turning up this year and while there might be a shortage because of their popularity, there’s no shortage of humour to go along with them.
In April, Premier Stephen McNeil famously told Nova Scotians: "We need to stay the blazes home."
The quote inspired merchandise: T-shirts, beer, even a song.
And for a COVID Christmas, designer Alice Miller thought "why not an ornament?"
"It has the two old Muppet grumpy men on it, which is also Dr. Strang and McNeil," Miller said.
It's a lighthearted tribute to a year of difficulty, highlighting when premier McNeil and Strang brought Muppets to a press conference.
Miller has sold thousands of her ornaments around the world, and the COVID theme has spread elsewhere.
One shop has worked with a designer to create a "Baby it's COVID outside" ornament.
There are a few other designs and hundreds have sold out.
"We’ve been shipping around the world to Australia, Hong Kong, across the U.S. and all over Canada as well," said Mark Smith, the co-owner of Made in the Maritimes. "A lot of people are looking for a piece of Nova Scotia through these ornaments."
The virus is also getting some space on trees, and so too are masks.
"It feels kind of funny and it’s kind of like an absurdist little keepsake of the year," said Jane MacDougald, the owner of Dart Gallery.
The items are a way to reflect on a trying year with a dose of humour. It's a year few will forget, but just in case, an ornament can jog memories.
