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McAllen Texas Holiday Ornament - Green Jay

McAllen Texas Holiday Ornament - Green Jay

$28.00 USD
$28.00 USD
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Green Jay. A tropical bird with a blue crown, a black mask and a lime-green back - not in Costa Rica, but at a feeder in South Texas, twenty minutes from a shopping mall.

The green jay reaches the northern edge of its entire range in the Rio Grande Valley. Below McAllen it continues down through Mexico and, in a separate population, into South America; above it, nothing. That accident of geography turned the lower Valley into one of the great birding destinations in North America - the World Birding Center network, the November festival, and visitors from every continent arriving with long lenses to see birds that exist nowhere else in the United States.

It is a strange kind of civic asset. McAllen's most exotic resident cannot be built, bought, or relocated - it simply happens to stop here, and the town built a tourism economy on the edge of a bird's range. The thornscrub that supports it is some of the most threatened habitat in Texas, which makes the jay a mascot and a warning at the same time.

For the birder, the Valley native, the one whose feeder they visit every winter. The most colorful thing on the tree, honestly.

Below are excerpts from our McAllen history page. The McAllen town logo and the full town story are available through the collection link above.

Printed on a three-inch faceted crystal glass round, white-backed so the greens, yellows and blues stay saturated and luminous against a lit tree. The faceted edge catches light from every angle. Arrives boxed - white or gold gift box, your choice at checkout.

3-inch (76 mm) round crystal glass ornament · faceted gem-cut edge · white-backed print for crisp contrast · red ribbon hanger · your choice of white or gold gift box, included · free U.S. shipping.


QUICK FACTS — MCALLEN TX CRYSTAL ORNAMENT — GREEN JAY

Town: McAllen, Texas

Founded: Dec 5, 1904; city 1911

Known for: The City of Palms; the commercial heart of the Rio Grande Valley; Quinta Mazatlan and the World Birding Center

Art: Green Jay, 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



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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.

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People have lived along this stretch of the river since long before any survey: the Coahuiltecan peoples made the Tamaulipan brushland home. In 1797 the Spanish crown granted the Santa Anita Ranch to José Manuel Gómez, and the land passed down through the Ballí family for generations. Salomé Ballí, heir to the grant, married the Irish-born businessman John McAllen in 1861, and the spread became the McAllen Ranch — sheep, cattle, and brush country running down to the Rio Grande, with the site of the future city inside its fences.

The modern city arrived on rails. Irrigation companies began watering the Delta lands around 1900, the St. Louis, Brownsville & Mexico Railway pushed through the ranch in 1904, and on December 5 of that year the McAllen Townsite Company platted a town named for the old rancher. A rival townsite — East McAllen — rose two miles away in 1907, won the post office, and became the McAllen that incorporated in 1911. In 1916, during the border troubles of the Mexican Revolution era, some 20,000 National Guard troops camped here, and the soldier payrolls put the young town permanently on the map.

Why People Visit McAllen

McAllen offers something rare — a subtropical Texas city where world-class birding, citrus country, and a living bi-national culture all sit within easy reach. Visitors come for the palms and the birds, stay for the food and the warmth, and leave understanding why this corner of Texas calls itself the City of Palms.

McAllen Texas Merlin Classics retro logo — Texas longhorn and Lone Star, Texas Republic Est. 1845