Initially, I published this piece in the beginning of the summer since I was enthralled with the idea that Christmas was a mere six months away. That always strikes me as plenty of time to get off The Naughty List. In attempts at doing so, here are all the Christmas cards I've ginned up over the years.
2004
It all started simply enough. Our first son, Aidan, was just over a year old. Back then Shutterfly didn't offer many options for card formats. In fact there was no multi-image layout so I arranged the shots in Photoshop as a single picture. Christine likes to muse that I invented the multi-picture Shutterfly Christmas card.
2007
Six pictures depicting Aidan's growth in four years was a fun collage to put together. The lower left corner is inside a gondola on the London Eye. The picture above that is the real Paris. Once again, the caption reflects the theme.
2004
It all started simply enough. Our first son, Aidan, was just over a year old. Back then Shutterfly didn't offer many options for card formats. In fact there was no multi-image layout so I arranged the shots in Photoshop as a single picture. Christine likes to muse that I invented the multi-picture Shutterfly Christmas card.
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| Hoping your holidays are filled with the joy of new discoveries |
2005
This Christmas card depicted our then only son in all four seasons. The dwarf Alberta spruce in the upper right winter pic was our first Christmas tree in our very first home. Last I checked, it's still there. The caption reflected the season theme.
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| May you find joy in every season of the new year. |
2006
The horse was my wife's registered quarter horse, "Dube." An excellent jumper, he was a very calm horse. The first I ever rode. Dube and I bonded on long trail rides. We would embark on early morning adventures, traversing long stretches of trails. He was a good horse. I made a watercolor out of the picture in Photoshop. The caption refers to the War in Iraq.
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May the New Year be filled with peace in our hearts and homes.
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2007
Six pictures depicting Aidan's growth in four years was a fun collage to put together. The lower left corner is inside a gondola on the London Eye. The picture above that is the real Paris. Once again, the caption reflects the theme.
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| May your peace and happiness grow throughout the coming year. |
2008
Watch Hill Town Beach in Rhode Island is one of our favorite spots on the planet. I like that Aidan is looking off to one side as if he's waiting for summer to arrive. The caption eludes to the beach season. The one point perspective is also cool.
Watch Hill Town Beach in Rhode Island is one of our favorite spots on the planet. I like that Aidan is looking off to one side as if he's waiting for summer to arrive. The caption eludes to the beach season. The one point perspective is also cool.
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| Warmest Wishes for the Holiday Season |
2009
The obvious focus of this card is Aidan's broken arm as evident in the caption. The left picture harkens to the swing which claimed Aidan's limb. The right picture is in the Mystic Aquarium on the day the cast came off.
2010
This card, the first one in which Christine and I appear, requires a little explanation. For many years, we've been managing an ongoing landscaping project that requires a lot of rocks. Our front yard was the dumping ground for raw materials, much to my wife's dismay. The caption below the picture is lyrics from the tune Jingle Bell Rock by Bobby Helms. Inside the card there is one word, "Rock!" referring to the song and all the rocks in our yard. The watercolor effect obscures our faces as well as the letters seen in the wall to the left of Christine spelling "A bye..."
I told recipients, "Take the word on the second page and put it in front of the words in the wall next to Christine.
The obvious focus of this card is Aidan's broken arm as evident in the caption. The left picture harkens to the swing which claimed Aidan's limb. The right picture is in the Mystic Aquarium on the day the cast came off.
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| Hope you enjoy the Christmas break... |
2010
This card, the first one in which Christine and I appear, requires a little explanation. For many years, we've been managing an ongoing landscaping project that requires a lot of rocks. Our front yard was the dumping ground for raw materials, much to my wife's dismay. The caption below the picture is lyrics from the tune Jingle Bell Rock by Bobby Helms. Inside the card there is one word, "Rock!" referring to the song and all the rocks in our yard. The watercolor effect obscures our faces as well as the letters seen in the wall to the left of Christine spelling "A bye..."
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I told recipients, "Take the word on the second page and put it in front of the words in the wall next to Christine.
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| Rock! |
"Rock a bye...baby."
That's how we told people Christine was pregnant. As you might have expected, no one got it without a hint.
2011
This is the only Christmas card that did not have a caption. William's intense stare with his little round head, and Aidan's whimsical, dreamy eyes said it all.
That's how we told people Christine was pregnant. As you might have expected, no one got it without a hint.
2011
This is the only Christmas card that did not have a caption. William's intense stare with his little round head, and Aidan's whimsical, dreamy eyes said it all.
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| Merry Christmas |
2012
The only black and white Christmas card certainly carries a more artistic quality. William with his pudgy cheeks hangs on like a small monkey as he follows his brother, who glances backwards to check on his little buddy. The caption is sweet and fitting.
2013
Angelic, peaceful, sleeping children are a parent's dream. I was lucky to catch both of them in red pajamas. The green border completes the Christmas theme. Of course, peace on just earth neglects the rest of the universe.
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| And other planets too. |
2014
This was the year that Aidan's trumpet playing really took off. The middle school jazz band taught Aidan about the rewards of hard work. Jazz is his music. He has no interest in rap, thankfully. He listens to Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, all the greats. My father liked jazz and would spin the same records night after night.
This was the picture on the inside.
This was the year that Aidan's trumpet playing really took off. The middle school jazz band taught Aidan about the rewards of hard work. Jazz is his music. He has no interest in rap, thankfully. He listens to Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, all the greats. My father liked jazz and would spin the same records night after night.
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| And all that jazz... |
2015
Aidan pushes his way into puberty and begins to look like a giant next to Willy whose expression in his bare feet is timeless. The winter would be mild two years in a row.
Aidan pushes his way into puberty and begins to look like a giant next to Willy whose expression in his bare feet is timeless. The winter would be mild two years in a row.
This picture on the inside reflects the true meaning of Christmas.
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2016
The fireplace surround came out of a 102 year old house. Extraordinary craftsmen modified it to fit our existing fireplace. It's a real work of art. I'm grateful that there are still artisans who can do this kind of work.
The fireplace surround came out of a 102 year old house. Extraordinary craftsmen modified it to fit our existing fireplace. It's a real work of art. I'm grateful that there are still artisans who can do this kind of work.
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| Happy Holiday from our Hearth and Home |
2017
The inside picture featured an eclectic group in Halloween costumes.
The inside picture featured an eclectic group in Halloween costumes.
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| A pilot, a swamp thing and a conductor. |
The caption read,
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2018
This card featured Aidan in his Naval Sea Cadet uniform and William in a Christmas themed sweater.
This card featured Aidan in his Naval Sea Cadet uniform and William in a Christmas themed sweater.
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Followed by the boys next to the stone folly.
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In the final image, they flank the outdoor hearth. In each image Christine appears in cameo.
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2019
I punted for this year and just offered a bunch of pictures with a caption reading "Merriest Christmas." Comparatively speaking, "merrier" is probably more common than "merriest." It's difficult to tell if something is the merriest thing of all so that's probably why you don't hear that word all that much.
2020
It seemed appropriate to have an isolation themed Christmas card given the pandemic. I'm glad that science saved the human race from extinction, and we can all return to complaining about the cost of a gallon of gasoline and the unavailability of the next generation of game console.
This year there's talk of not doing a Christmas card. Everyone is getting older and busy. I may not be all that busy, but I am certainly the oldest, and I say we should do another card. We shall see. In case I can't herd them all to a single place for a candid,
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Editor's Note: Originally posted on June 22, 2017.
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