Package From Heathersmoo: Mothman and Buc-ee

 I mentioned in “Part 2” of my “In Person Meet-Up With Heathersmoo” post that Heather promised to send me a souvenir keychain from the Mothman Museum in Point Pleasant. I originally planned to upload a follow-up post, showing off the Mothman keychain I received, long before now. Unfortunately, time got away from me, and my Key Chains Advent Calendar opening ended up taking over my posting schedule. Sorry, Heather. I really am grateful to you for thinking of me. Anyway, here’s the Mothman keychain that Heather sent.

Not only did Heather make a point of asking me what type of Mothman keychain I would like, but she also sent me a link to the Mothman Museum website, so that I could browse their inventory. I told Heather that, if possible, I would prefer a keychain with the actual name of the museum on it. As you can see, Heather didn’t fail to deliver.

Heather also sent me a Buc-ee’s keychain in the same package. I’d never heard of the Buc-ee’s store chain before meeting Heather, which isn’t that surprising considering the chain was founded in Texas and doesn’t seem to have much of a foothold in the northern United States. However, when Heather attempted to describe the awesomeness of Buc-ee’s to me, the impression I got was of a convenience store and an old-fashioned soda counter and a tacky tourist shop all rolled into one.

The last thing in Heather’s package was this ‘lucky penny’. We made a stop at Sesame Place the day of our in person meet-up, and as we were walking around I happened to find a penny on the ground that someone must’ve dropped. Over time, I’ve developed a pretty good eye for spotting dropped change. Anyway, I gave the penny to Heather, telling her that maybe it would bring her good luck. Apparently she wanted to return the favor, and according to her note she had a friend help her scout around for a lost penny to send to me.

I want to apologize to Heather, again, for getting this post up so late. I also haven’t forgotten that I still owe you a few other posts, and I want you to know that I am working on them. Better late than never, right?

Signed, Treesa

Key Chains Advent Calendar, Day 24 (2022)

Christmastime is here, and we’re wrapping up my “Key Chains Advent Calendar” opening with Day 24’s contribution…

…another avocado. Although similar to the avocado keychain received on Day 4, there are enough differences to tell the two apart. For example, today’s avocado has arms as well as legs. It also lacks the pink under-eyes/cheeks that Day 4’s avocado had, not to mention there’s a color difference in the ‘flesh’ area around the pit.

Signed, Treesa

Key Chains Advent Calendar, Day 23 (2022)

With my “Key Chains Advent Calendar” opening soon coming to a close, Day 23 gifts us with…

…a sitting duck. Seriously, it’s just a plain, generic duck, but cute.

Signed, Treesa

Key Chains Advent Calendar, Day 22 (2022)

 It’s Day 22 of my “Key Chains Advent Calendar” opening, and the countdown to Christmas is in full swing. Today’s keychain is…

…a teddy bear ice cream cone. I’m guessing it’s a chocolate bear.

Signed, Treesa

Key Chains Advent Calendar, Day 21 (2022)

 My “Key Chains Advent Calendar” opening is the gift that keeps on giving, and the gift for Day 21 is…

…another dinosaur keychain. The design is a little different from the dinosaur I received on Day 10, and the color scheme is also noticeably different. But the spikes running down the back and tail were similar enough that I had to visually check if this was a duplicate or not.

Signed, Treesa

Key Chains Advent Calendar, Day 20 (2022)

 Coming into the home stretch now, it’s Day 20 of my “Key Chains Advent Calendar” opening. And behind door number 20 we have…

…a hamburger with lettuce, cheese and tomato on a sesame seed bun, and no face. It’s become rare to get a food item keychain in this calendar that doesn’t have an odd, cartoon face on it.

Signed, Treesa

Key Chains Advent Calendar, Day 19 (2022)

 We’re in the final week of my “Key Chains Advent Calendar” opening. Day 19’s gift is…

…a pink sheep. I wonder if this color choice is supposed to resemble cotton candy. I’m pretty sure that ‘cotton candy sheep’ is an art motif I’ve seen before online.

Signed, Treesa

Key Chains Advent Calendar, Day 18 (2022)

Today is Day 18 of my “Key Chains Advent Calendar” opening. Up for your inspection we have…

…a watermelon slice. Unlike the pineapple and the strawberry and the carrot keychains that came before, this watermelon keychain has a face on both sides. However, I didn’t bother photographing the other side, since it’s the exact same face on both sides.

Signed, Treesa

Key Chains Advent Calendar, Day 17 (2022)

The 17^th Day of my “Key Chains Advent Calendar” opening brings us…

…another cactus. Even though this keychain is slightly different from the one I received on Day 7, I’m still experiencing some déjà vu. The plant pot even has the same “sunny day” message as the pot from Day 7’s cactus.

Signed, Treesa

Key Chains Advent Calendar, Day 16 (2022)

 Before the day itself comes to a close, here is my post for Day 16 of my “Key Chains Advent Calendar” opening.

            Today’s keychain is none other than the renowned Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer. The red nose in question seems unusually oversized when compared to the proportions used for Rudolph’s other facial features. But besides that, there really isn’t much to differentiate this version of the character from the numerous other interpretations of Rudolph. Still a cute keychain though.

            Signed, Treesa

Key Chains Advent Calendar, Day 15 (2022)

 Here we go again. Day 15 of my “Key Chains Advent Calendar” opening brings us yet another produce item.

Today, we have a pineapple. However, like the carrot and the strawberry that came before it, this pineapple has a hidden personality.

In keeping with the tropical vibe that pineapples naturally seem to give off, this keychain is sporting sunglasses, with heart-shaped lenses. So far, I think this is my favorite of the ‘produce items with hidden faces’ sub-category of this calendar.

Signed, Treesa

Key Chains Advent Calendar, Day 14 (2022)

 We’ve now arrived at Day 14 of my “Key Chains Advent Calendar” opening. Remember the carrot from Day 12? Well, we have a similar situation going on with today’s keychain. On the one side we have an innocuous looking strawberry,

while on the other side, we have…this.

While the strawberry’s face isn’t quite as unsettling as the black-eyed carrot, it still comes across a bit odd.

Signed, Treesa

Key Chains Advent Calendar, Day 13 (2022)

 We’ve made it to Day 13 of my “Key Chains Advent Calendar” opening. Today, the keychain behind the door is…

…a teddy bear wearing a Santa hat and holding a wrapped gift. The orange coloration of this teddy makes me think of an early 2000s animated Christmas special called The Tangerine Bear. The ‘gift wrap’ on the present being held is a traditional holiday green, but the ‘ribbon’ is either a pinkish purple color or a purplish pink color. I believe that purples and pinks are more often associated with spring celebrations like Easter than with the winter holidays. So, between that and the orange ‘fur’ on the bear, there were a few odd color choices on this one.

Signed, Treesa

Key Chains Advent Calendar, Day 12 (2022)

 Welcome back to another day of my “Key Chains Advent Calendar” opening. For Day 12 we get…

…a carrot keychain. When I first pulled this out, I thought it was seemingly random, but otherwise unremarkable. Then I saw the reverse side.

Either this carrot hasn’t slept in quite a while, or got into a fight with somebody, because there are prominent black circles around its eyes.

Signed, Treesa

Key Chains Advent Calendar, Day 11 (2022)

 We’re now on Day 11 of my “Key Chains Advent Calendar” opening. Today we have…

            …a baby chick? Or maybe it’s a duckling? I’m not really sure. I also don’t know why one wing is raised in what looks like a salute.

            Signed, Treesa

Key Chains Advent Calendar, Day 10 (2022)

 For Day 10 of my “Key Chains Advent Calendar” opening, we have…

            …a blue dinosaur with red details. At least, I think it’s supposed to be a dinosaur. There’s a prominent blue stripe down the dinosaur’s white belly, along the seam line, that I’m fairly sure was not a deliberate design choice. The keychain also seems a bit out of place, stylistically, when compared to the other keychains from this advent calendar that I’ve opened so far.

            Signed, Treesa

Key Chains Advent Calendar, Day 9 (2022)

 Another day, another keychain. Day 9 of my “Key Chains Advent Calendar” opening gives us…

            …a panda. Honestly, there’s not much to say about this one, except for the fact that the pink spots on the cheeks are shaped like hearts.

            Signed, Treesa

Key Chains Advent Calendar, Day 8 (2022)

 We’re 8 days into my “Key Chains Advent Calendar” opening, and the keychain for today is…

…a cute puppy with a festive red scarf. The scarf actually has a ‘knit’ pattern molded into it, and the puppy’s molded ‘fur’ is textured.

Signed, Treesa

Key Chains Advent Calendar, Day 7 (2022)

 On the 7^th Day of my “Key Chains Advent Calendar” opening, the calendar gave to me…

            …a potted cactus. The cactus flowers resemble misshapen hearts, though that could just be a coincidence. Also, the dark gray flowerpot has the phrase “Sunny Day” on it. I don’t know if this is supposed to be significant, or if it’s just a randomly chosen phrase.

            Signed, Treesa

Key Chains Advent Calendar, Day 6 (2022)

 We’ve reached Day 6 of my “Key Chains Advent Calendar” opening. Today’s keychain is…

...an ice cream cone with a more than passing resemblance to Hello Kitty. While I’m not that knowledgeable about the Hello Kitty franchise, the bow placement and the simplistic facial features are unmistakable. The bow seems a bit misshapen on one end, but I can’t be sure if this was a manufacturing defect or if it was done deliberately to accommodate the keychain findings. Or it could have been a combination of both, since some of the pink coloring from the bow ended up on the loop at the top that connects to the chain and keyring.

The kitty head shaped ice cream scoop also has an odd translucent quality to it. I’m unclear whether there’s some pink coloring in the translucent mix, or if the translucence is just reflecting a portion of the pink color from the bow.

Signed, Treesa

Key Chains Advent Calendar, Day 5 (2022)

 Day 5, and today's gift from my "Key Chains Advent Calendar" opening is...

...a snowman, with a cute hat. For some reason, the design of the hat, plus the red and yellow (almost-but-not-quite Gryffindor house colors) color scheme, makes me think of the handknits made by Mrs. Molly Weasley in the Harry Potter series.

Signed, Treesa

Key Chains Advent Calendar, Day 4 (2022)

 Day 4 of the "Key Chains Advent Calendar" opening, and the keychain for today is...

...an avocado. Avocados may not be festive per say, but their signature green color can often be associated with the holiday season. Avocados were also a full-blown, social media food trend, tied to millennials and hipsters. Granted, the avocado's cultural significance peaked in the 2010s, while this calendar is dated 2021. Still, at least the Chinese manufacturer made the attempt to cater to their overseas customer base.

Signed, Treesa

Key Chains Advent Calendar, Day 3 (2022)

 It's Day 3 of my "Key Chains Advent Calendar" opening, and today we have...

a very festive Christmas tree, with colored baubles, snow-laced boughs, and a star on top. This tree does flex quite a bit, which I imagine could put stress on the material over time. But personally, I find this keychain more visually pleasing than yesterday's

Signed, Treesa

Key Chains Advent Calendar, Day 2 (2022)

 Welcome to Day 2 of my "Key Chains Advent Calendar" opening. Behind today's door we have...

Santa Claus himself, definitely more festive than yesterday's keychain (spoiler). Construction-wise, this Santa also features more colors than what I got yesterday, and is therefore made up of a lot more separate, small sections. The joins between these sections are very visible at points. For example, there is a deep gap between Santa's nose and his beard, and his ankle connections seem particularly flimsy. If I were to actually use this keychain as a keychain, I'd be very concerned about it falling to pieces over time. So it's a good thing that this Santa will be getting packed away with my collection.

However, with its obviously festive look this keychain could also work well as a Christmas tree ornament. I like to encourage people to use their spare keychains to decorate their Christmas trees, since not everyone knows a keychain collector that they can pass on their unused keychains to.

Signed, Treesa

Key Chains Advent Calendar, Day 1 (2022)

 When I had my in person meet-up with Heathersmoo back in July, she gifted me with a "Key Chains Advent Calendar", from China (according to the box).

Her thinking was that I could show off what was inside here on the blog over the holiday season. Here's what the calendar layout looks like under the box flap.

And behind door number 1 we have...

A French fries container. I actually think this is pretty cute, even though it's not particularly festive. Admittedly, the fries are a little off-center. But the rubbery material this keychain is made from feels substantial and durable, aside from the fact that the fries and the container are two separate pieces and the connection between them seems somewhat weak. Still, overall I'd say this calendar is off to a great start.

Stay tuned for future posts, where I open the other calendar doors.

Signed, Treesa