It might already be halfway through December, but that doesn’t mean we’re all finished decorating for the holidays yet — and if you happen to be a devotee of the mighty chicken nugget, here’s a pair of decorations just for you: McDonald’s UK made chicken nugget holiday lights and a chicken nugget ornament this year. They are positively delightful; indeed, I had no idea how much I wanted a Santa hat-clad Chicken McNugget bauble until I realized that such a thing actually existed. Happy holidays, am I right?
I do, however, have good news and bad news about these wonderful decorations. The good news is, you won’t have to shell out a penny for them; they’re a prize McDonald’s UK will be giving out to select few winners as part of their Reindeer Ready holiday promotion. The bad news, though, is that the contest is only open to residents of the UK and Ireland so if you’re located anywhere else, you’re out of luck.
And by “only open to residents of the UK and Ireland,” I absolutely mean “only to residents of the UK and Ireland.” Indeed, McDonald’s UK is keeping such a tight hold on the contest that you can’t even view the Reindeer Ready website unless you’re located in one of those two participating countries. (What gives, McD’s? I don’t want to enter the contest — I just want to read about it!) Sadly, this means that I could not get my info about anything involving the contest through official channels; I had to dig through a lot of other news coverage about it from people who were able to view the site. Here’s what I’ve been able to find out.
According to various outlets, including the Sun and Chronicle Live, the ornament was designed by Bombki, a company known for creating high-end mouth-blown glass baubles in whimsical shapes ranging from pug pups to tea caddies. Bombki’s ornaments are all hand decorated and individually painted, making each and every one a labor of love — and it shows in the cost: Single ornaments typically cost between £29 and £50, or about $37 to $63 USD. McD's chicken nugget ornament bears all the hallmarks of a Bombki bauble, from its glittery nugget “breading” to its little glass Santa hat; if it were sold in stores, it probably command a similarly high price.
It’s not clear whether the string lights are also designed by Bombki, but either way, they’re just as cute as the bauble is. Housing each tiny lightbulb on the string is a decorative McNugget with a pair of golden arches splashed across its front. Part of me wishes these little nuggs had Santa hats of their own, but oh well. When it comes to absurd holiday decorations, sometimes you can only expect so much.
If you do happen to be based across the pond, there doesn’t seem to be much to entering the contest; according to Trend Hunter, all you need to do is visit the Reindeer Ready website and input a few details (I’m assuming we’re talking things like your name, your email address, etc.). Then, you just have to wait to see if you’re one of the lucky winners. I’m not sure how many will win, but those of you who are able to access the Reindeer Ready website should be able to find out pretty quickly via the Terms and Conditions page.
There do seem to be more prizes, too, by the way; for example, vt. drew attention to this glorious ugly reindeer sweater at the beginning of December. So, uh, what are you waiting for, UK and Ireland? Go! Enter! And if you win, please send pictures of your prizes! You’d be doing a great public service by letting those of us in other countries live vicariously through you.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to go see if I can find any chicken nugget-shaped ornaments available stateside…
