You can put a Santa hat on anything and it becomes a Christmas tree ornament. (couple years ago I put one on an elephant). Nobody minds, someone out there will like it, like my wife.
He's not too big, kind of a use-up-the-scrap project. I've whittled a bunch without the hat over the years, typically 1/4 inch thick for one sided moon men (fridge magnets) and half inch thick for two sided, like a ceiling fan pull. the first ornie I tried was cut 1/4 inch thick, there wasn't enough wood to work with. I don't like my whittliings to look flat, and the thinner piece of wood wouldn't let me curve his face front to back. 3/8 inch thick let me hake him thickest at the cheek and taper to the points at the top of the hat and bottom point. He's 3-1/8" tall and 1-1/8" wide. Start at the hat brim, its as thick as the cheek, more or less. Whittle the head to go into the hat, then whittle the red portion of the hat down to a pleasing taper. I like to end my Flat Plane whittlings with long smooth cuts to create planar surfaces- can't call 'em planes cuz they're not flat- instead of multiple cuts to create the curve. Since he's intended for the tree, I like the way the long cuts reflect the lights. Use a glossy finish to help with reflections too.
Happy Whittling-
Buffalo Bif
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