Thanks for all the comments. It really is a simple project. Since some people have expressed an interest in doing this, I'll point out a few things to keep in mind....
- Watch the weight! Heavy ornaments can really sag your boughs, and hardwoods are heavy even at this small scale. The snowmen I made are 2½" tall, and are OK in terms of weight but I wouldn't want them to be any heavier. I have heard of making ornaments out of basswood, but I don't have any of that stuff.
- Sharpies bleed. To keep the ink from bleeding into the wood fibers, I applied a couple of coats of spray lacquer before I let the kids loose with the Sharpies. Then I sprayed a couple of top coats of lacquer after the designs were complete.
- I soaked the knot in the "scarf" with a couple drops of thin CA glue to keep the knot from coming undone.