{"product_id":"nome-alaska-holiday-ornament-nome-national-forest","title":"Nome Alaska Holiday Ornament - Nome National Forest","description":"\u003c!-- Nome Alaska Holiday Ornament - Nome National Forest | Version: R4.3SP FINAL | 2026-10-13 | What changed: GKP keyword layer added over the pre-GKP mini hub (keyword paragraph, keywords meta, article:tag x6, BreadcrumbList + FAQPage x3); five paragraphs, buttons and charity link unchanged --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- GKP 392: R1 10\/23 (43.5%); R2 4\/16 (25.0%); two-run 14\/39 (35.9%) | Keywords meta: 14 measured | Embedded in visible text: 7 | article:tag x6 | Store tags unchanged --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- IP Clean: town name and Merlin art only; no business, team or brand marks | Content audit: PASS (buttons full width, labels one line, charity linked, local spellings as entities) --\u003e\n\u003cstyle\u003e.mc-orn{max-width:100%;}.mc-orn p{margin:0 0 1em 0;line-height:1.6;}.mc-orn a{color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-underline-offset:3px;}.mc-orn a.mc-btn{display:block;width:100%;box-sizing:border-box;text-align:center;white-space:nowrap;padding:13px 16px;margin:0 0 14px 0;background:#F0EAD6;color:#1a1a1a;border:1px solid #1a1a1a;text-decoration:none;font-weight:600;letter-spacing:0.03em;border-radius:4px;}.mc-orn a.mc-btn:hover{background:#E6DEC4;}.mc-orn .mc-spec{font-weight:600;}\u003c\/style\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"mc-orn\"\u003e\n\u003ca class=\"mc-btn\" href=\"\/collections\/crystal-glass-town-ornaments\"\u003eOther Town \u0026amp; Animal Ornaments\u003c\/a\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA dozen used Christmas trees planted in the sea ice with a hand-painted sign reading NOME NATIONAL FOREST. The only forest in Nome, and it only exists in January.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNome sits on the tundra above the treeline, so the nearest real forest is a long way off. Every year after Christmas, people haul their used trees out onto the frozen Bering Sea in front of town, plant them in the ice, hang a few leftover ornaments and put up the sign. The forest stands until breakup, when the ice goes out and takes it along.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt started as a joke decades ago and became a tradition the whole town keeps. Visitors who arrive by snow machine in February ask what the trees are doing on the ocean. Locals tell them.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA town with no trees that plants a forest on the sea every winter is a town that understands the holiday. The red garland on the trees is the real thing: leftovers, hung with care.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Nome National Forest is planted every winter on the frozen Bering Sea out of used Christmas trees, the Alaska Christmas joke of a town above the treeline. This Nome ornament is a Nome Christmas ornament and Alaska ornament for anyone who knows Nome, Alaska, from the gold rush to the Iditarod finish.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"mc-spec\"\u003e3-inch faceted crystal glass ornament, white-backed print, line-drawn in 1880s engraving style, your choice of white or gold gift box.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEvery Nome ornament ships ready to give, and \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/landing-page-charity\"\u003eprofits support hunger relief\u003c\/a\u003e. Hang it on the tree, in a window, off a lamp, or send one to the person who misses Nome most.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ca class=\"mc-btn\" href=\"\/collections\/nome-ak-retro-apparel-hats-home-goods\"\u003eMore Nome Items\u003c\/a\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"mc-meta\" style=\"display: none!important;\"\u003e\n\u003cmeta name=\"keywords\" content=\"bering sea, nome alaska, alaska christmas, alaska ornament, nome gold rush, bering sea history, iditarod finish, nome christmas, nome gifts, nome gold rush history, nome history, nome national forest, nome ornament, nome ornaments\"\u003e \u003cmeta property=\"article:tag\" content=\"nome national forest\"\u003e \u003cmeta property=\"article:tag\" content=\"nome alaska\"\u003e \u003cmeta property=\"article:tag\" content=\"bering sea\"\u003e \u003cmeta property=\"article:tag\" content=\"alaska christmas\"\u003e \u003cmeta property=\"article:tag\" content=\"iditarod finish\"\u003e \u003cmeta property=\"article:tag\" content=\"alaska ornament\"\u003e \u003cscript type=\"application\/ld+json\"\u003e\n{\"@context\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\", \"@graph\": [{\"@type\": \"BreadcrumbList\", \"itemListElement\": [{\"@type\": \"ListItem\", \"position\": 1, \"name\": \"Home\", \"item\": \"https:\/\/merlinclassics.store\/\"}, {\"@type\": \"ListItem\", \"position\": 2, \"name\": \"Crystal Glass Town Ornaments\", \"item\": \"https:\/\/merlinclassics.store\/collections\/crystal-glass-town-ornaments\"}, {\"@type\": \"ListItem\", \"position\": 3, \"name\": \"Nome Alaska Holiday Ornament - Nome National Forest\"}]}, {\"@type\": \"FAQPage\", \"mainEntity\": [{\"@type\": \"Question\", \"name\": \"What is the Nome National Forest?\", \"acceptedAnswer\": {\"@type\": \"Answer\", \"text\": \"Nome, Alaska sits above the treeline, so after Christmas residents plant their used trees in the sea ice off town and call it the Nome National Forest. It stands until the ice breaks up in spring.\"}}, {\"@type\": \"Question\", \"name\": \"Is this a good Nome souvenir or Christmas gift?\", \"acceptedAnswer\": {\"@type\": \"Answer\", \"text\": \"Yes. It is a Nome Christmas ornament built on one true local story, made for people from Nome and people who love it. It ships ready to give in a white or gold gift box, and profits support hunger relief.\"}}, {\"@type\": \"Question\", \"name\": \"What size is the ornament and how is it made?\", \"acceptedAnswer\": {\"@type\": \"Answer\", \"text\": \"It is a 3-inch faceted crystal glass ornament with a white-backed print of original line-drawn art in the 1880s engraving style, with your choice of a white or gold gift box.\"}}]}]}\n\u003c\/script\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Merlin Classics","offers":[{"title":"One size \/ Circle + White Gift Packaging","offer_id":50684807577817,"sku":"32499650937013885205","price":24.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"One size \/ Circle + Gold Gift Packaging","offer_id":50684807610585,"sku":"44945016588838336743","price":24.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0768\/9374\/9465\/files\/11092123767689502896_2048.jpg?v=1791921769","url":"https:\/\/merlinclassics.store\/products\/nome-alaska-holiday-ornament-nome-national-forest","provider":"Merlin Classics","version":"1.0","type":"link"}