Skip to product information
1 of 4

Lake Tahoe California Holiday Ornament - Tahoe Tessie

Lake Tahoe California Holiday Ornament - Tahoe Tessie

Regular price $28.00 USD
Regular price Sale price $28.00 USD
Sale
Free U.S. Shipping
Size
Shape
Quantity


A friendly long-necked lake creature surfacing from alpine water in a red scarf, a rowboat for scale and snowy peaks behind. Tessie, Tahoe's own.

The Washoe told stories of something in the lake long before the resorts arrived. The modern sightings started in the 1970s: a dark hump, a long neck, a wake with nothing in front of it. Tahoe is over 1,600 feet deep and famously cold, and the old line that the lake never gives up its dead made a monster easy to believe in.

Tessie has a children's book, a mascot suit and a following that is at least half serious. Kids on the beach watch the water for her. So, quietly, do some of the adults.

Every great lake wants a monster. Tahoe's is a cheerful one, and the scarf makes her a winter resident, which locals will tell you she is.

Tahoe Tessie, the Lake Tahoe monster, is the best of the Lake Tahoe legends, seen from Emerald Bay to the north shore. This lake monster ornament is a Lake Tahoe Christmas ornament for anyone who has spent Christmas in Lake Tahoe, a Lake Tahoe souvenir from California and Nevada both.

Every Lake Tahoe ornament ships ready to give. Hang it on the tree, in a window, off a lamp, or send one to the person who misses Lake Tahoe most.

3-inch faceted crystal glass ornament, white-backed print, line-drawn in 1880s engraving style, your choice of white or gold gift box.


QUICK FACTS — LAKE TAHOE CA CRYSTAL ORNAMENT — TAHOE TESSIE

Town: Lake Tahoe, California

Founded: Washoe presence 10,000+ years

Known for: Big Blue, the highest large alpine lake in North America; Emerald Bay and Vikingsholm (1929); the Washoe’s Daʔaw

Art: Tahoe Tessie, original Merlin Classics engraving

Blank: 3-inch (76 mm) round clear crystal glass ornament, faceted gem-cut edge

Print: white-backed for contrast; red ribbon hanger

Packaging: white or gold gift box, chosen at checkout

Made to order in the USA



View full details

Wear Local. Feed Local. Stay Classic.

Product FAQs

How does your sizing work?

Every item is made to order, so please check the size chart on this page before you buy. Women's fitted tees run small; size up for a looser fit. Caps are one size with an adjustable strap.

How are items made and when will they arrive?

We make each item to order using premium blanks, embroidery and soft-hand prints. Production takes 2-5 business days (weekends and holidays excluded), then 4-10 days in transit via USPS, UPS or FedEx to U.S. addresses; most orders arrive within 6-15 business days. You'll get a tracking link the moment it ships. Any current shipping offer is shown in the bar at the top of every page and applies automatically at checkout, no code needed.

How do I send a gift?

Enter the recipient's address as the shipping address and your own as the billing address at checkout. Nothing ships with a price; the package includes a plain packing slip. Tracking goes to your email, not theirs. For birthdays and holidays, order two weeks ahead to be safe.

What's the return policy?

Made-to-order items can't be returned or exchanged for size or color, so please use the size chart and photos before ordering. If anything arrives defective, misprinted or damaged, send a photo and your order number within 30 days and we'll replace it or refund you.

How do I care for my item?

Apparel: wash cold, inside out, with like colors; no bleach; tumble dry low or hang dry. Embroidered pieces: iron inside out to protect the stitching. Caps: spot clean. Printed glasses and water bottles: hand wash only, no dishwasher, so the artwork lasts. Mugs and engraved glasses are dishwasher safe. Any item-specific care notes are in the description above.

Who makes this?

Merlin Classics is a small Connecticut brand making original retro designs for the towns people love. Every piece is printed, embroidered or engraved to order in the USA, and the business supports hunger relief in the communities our collections celebrate.

The twentieth century made Tahoe a playground. Steamers gave way to highways, lodges to ski resorts, and in 1960 the Winter Olympics came to nearby Olympic Valley — today Palisades Tahoe — launching the modern ski era that fills the basin every winter. Summer brought boating, hiking, and the beaches; winter brought the snow that lingers on the peaks into May. Through all of it, the clarity of the water became the thing worth protecting: the "Keep Tahoe Blue" conservation movement grew up to defend exactly the cobalt depth that made the lake famous. Big Blue is still, first and last, the lake itself.

Tahoe's stories run as deep as the lake. They'll tell you that on a still day you can see a dinner plate sixty feet down, and that the water is so cold and deep it barely freezes. They'll tell you the Washoe came here for ten thousand summers before anyone wrote a word about it, and that Mark Twain thought the air alone was worth the trip. And they'll point across the water to Emerald Bay — the castle, the island, the hermit's tomb — as if to say the strangest, finest things at Tahoe all gather in one cove. It is a place of contrasts: sacred and scenic, wild and built, summer-warm and snow-capped at once.

Why People Visit Lake Tahoe California

Lake Tahoe draws people who love mountains and water in the same view. It is Big Blue — the highest, deepest, clearest alpine lake in the West — with a National Natural Landmark bay, a Scandinavian castle, a ten-thousand-year Washoe heritage, and ski slopes and beaches a few hours from the city. Visitors come for the rare combination: cobalt water you can see straight down into, granite peaks above it, and a shore that's beautiful in snow and sun alike.

Lake Tahoe California Merlin Classics retro vintage logo featuring the California grizzly bear and star above California Est. 1850