TOYHEM! O Bat-Tannenbaum, O Bat-Tannenbaum…
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Welcome to TOYHEM! For the seventh straight holiday season, we’re bringing you a series of features and columns celebrating the toys of our youth, which often made for the best memories this time of year. Click here to check out the complete index of stories — and have a Merry Christmas, a Happy Chanukah and Happy Holidays!
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By JASON CZERNICH
This time of year gets me thinking — more than usual — about the superheroes I grew up with.
Is it because my birthday and Christmas both fall this month, and I used to get the most superhero swag around this time in the form of Power Records, Megos, Super Powers, Batman hardcover books, and other Bronze Age goodies? Who knows?
All I know is that over the years, I’ve accumulated so many superhero ornaments that I now display them on my own little separate tree in our study. The collection has grown so much that there are simply too many to add to the main tree without completely taking it over.
I call this yearly project My Favorite Things Tree, and it offers a peek into my pop-culture tastes — superheroes, movies, music and so on.
Enjoy these glimpses of how I express my fanboy love at this special time of year.
First, here are some of My Favorite Things that are not superhero or comic-book related:
My Favorite Film and Muppet:
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My Favorite Boardgame:
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My Favorite Band:
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I even have a Favorite Comedian-Turned-Film-Actor on my tree:
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There’s also sections by theme, such as the Favorite Superhero Media side of my tree:
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A Batmobile section:
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The Justice League/Super Friends Section:
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Also about the tree are various Batman ornaments because… he’s my Favorite Hero!
I also adorn the study with other decorations including prints by my favorite living artist, Alex Ross.
You’ll notice that most of the portrayals of the DC heroes on the tree are from the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s. That’s no coincidence—it’s very much by design, as those are the eras I grew up in.
I can’t be the only one who does something like this! Do you have a specially decorated tree of your own? Let us know in the comments — and Happy Holidays!
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JASON CZERNICH was born smack dab in the middle of the Bronze Age of Comics. Early memories of Power Records and other Batman merchandise, as well as watching reruns of the 1966 Batman series on TV38 in Boston, imprinted on him heavily. Today, he lives and works as a clinical social worker in central Massachusetts with his wife, child, cat, and beloved French Bulldog.
December 24, 2025
I have a tree very similar. We actually have many of the same ornaments…..more so than different ones. Very nice!
December 24, 2025
I love this tree! I have one very similar with heroes, both comics and media heroes! Merry Christmas ‼️
December 24, 2025
Love the tree! I have a number of those ornaments and I saw a couple new ones I would like to pick up. I actually have a similar tree (though I didn’t decorate it this year) that is all pop culture ornaments and is bursting at the seams after buying ornaments for it for the last 30 years. I also have a smaller 4 foot tree that is devoted just to cereal ornaments (I’m a bit obsessed with cereal). I’ll post a pic here if I can figure out how to do so.
December 24, 2025
Lamentablemente esas figuras Hallmark no llegan a Chile. Compré la del Batman 66 y el precio fue una locura !
December 24, 2025
I love that Riddler ornament. Of all the facsimiles they’ve done of Gorshin, I think that is actually the closest to getting his likeness and energy. That Eartha Kitt one is cool, too.
Merry Christmas
December 24, 2025
I have a very similar tree though it is entirely Batman focused. I got a white tree so all the black Batman ornaments pop nicely in the contrast.
December 25, 2025
Sherlock Hemlock on the tree? Unexpected and awesome!!
December 25, 2025
I have a new project i need to do!
December 26, 2025
Holy Holidays!! I was a little kid in the Sixties watching Batman and I think I got a bunch of Bat-stuff a couple of Christmasses. Love your tree! I have cats (plural) so I just keep a lit ceramic tree in a glass case but I used to put up a little tree decorated with the “Wizard Of Oz” ornaments I bought my late folks forty years ago…