Archives: Silly Christmas cards

Since 1990, I have been creating silly Christmas cards. Originally, they all got printed. Then I went digital-only for a few years. Along the way, I missed a few years completely for various reasons. Over time, some of my concepts were strong. Some... not! But that's how it goes. I hope you get a chuckle. If you are not on my Christmas card distribution list but want to get added, contact me!

1988-With Tigger. The first of my silly cards. This was taken during a trip to Universal Studios with old friends. This one (which is among my most favorites) was missing from my collection until just recently when I found it in my parents' albums. Wahoo! 

1989 Not the actual Christmas card, as that is still missing from my collection. But I think I used this photo for that year's card. It was during a business trip for ACS to Seattle.

1990 - From the "First Annual Ricardo Montalban Film Festival/Juan Valdez Ski Invitational". The translation? Mexican themed pot luck party in Park City. We all had a BUNCH of fun.

1991 - What says Merry Christmas more than JOHN WAYNE? The old photo was from 1969 when, at 13 years-old, I got to shake hands with the Duke at the centennial celebration of the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad. This year, I'll be attending the big sesquicentennial celebration!

1992 - Celebrating that OTHER Christmas Virgin!

1993 Making do in the desert. That's a self-portrait using a tripod and timer. I remember the pain from that cactus sticking me in the knee!

1994 Winter in Zion National Park. Friends told me that they looked HARD to find me in this photo. Nope. No silliness this year. Just a nice shot of snowy Zion National Park. 

1995 My first digitally-composed card. Still had lots of brown hair back then. And a girlfriend! It was a Christmas miracle!!! 

1996 You'd better watch out. Steve-O-Claus knows... 

2000 - Funny what you can do with a flatbed scanner, spray-painted AlphaBits cereal, and some digitally created snowflakes. 

2001 Thanks to my old buddy John Yorkey for sending a photo of this previously missing card. I was especially excited to get this one because it has a great backstory.

The card suggests that I was in a very affectionate relationship with a very happy woman named Lynn. But this card had an inside joke for my racquetball player friends (who were sharp enough to look twice). The woman is Lynn Adams, at that time one of the two best women professional racquetball players in that sport's history. So, just a few of my racquetball buddies did a shocked double take and caught the gag. But many of them didn't... which amused me to no end. (Some completely rejected the idea I was in a relationship at all, which I found very annoying.)

I had played in a benefit doubles tournament in Erie, Pennsylvania that featured a bunch of the sport's best ex-pro women players. It was a lot of fun for me to meet these women who I had followed in the magazines as I came up through the ranks. And to watch them compete again. So this photo was shot during the awards banquet. Lynn, ever the outgoing, friendly (married) ambassador of the sport, graciously posed for a fan photo with me, with a totally harmless quick hug. Little did she know I would rotate the shot about 25 degrees to suggest she was REALLY leaning into me. And to use it on my Christmas card that year, forever besmirching her reputation. Oh well, the price of fame. Ha, I even remember asking a local female friend to add "Lynn's" signature, just to boost the authentic feel of it.

2002 - What do you do when you are just at a loss for a truly clever concept? This, I guess.

2003 Have your multiple selves a Merry little Christmas. This one got a surprising number of comments about how much I look like my brothers.

2004 - An avalanche of brides. Some of my clients from that year. Hoping for more the next! 

2005 - For this one, I wanted to put this Christmas mug from my childhood to use. My favorite reaction was from someone who told me they would never drink eggnog again. Ever.

2006 - Playing with a red colored strobe light and VERY green eyes via Photoshop. 

2007 - A good concept can get dragged down in execution if you procrastinate long enough.

2008 - One card for three holidays - VERY sensible, don't you think?

2009 - There is no deep meaning with this one. I had recently been playing with water drop photography and decided to put it to use. Dumb idea, but pretty.

2010 Morphing photography and type. This was a fun Photoshop project.

2011 My first electronic-only card. With no new, worthy concepts to employ, I put together a sampler of past cards. Yawn. 

2012 Another electronic-only card. This is from my trip to Las Vegas to compete in the USATT National Championships. Fun trip!

2011 My first electronic-only card. With no new, worthy ideas, I put together a sampler of past cards. Yawn. 

2013 Another electronic-only card. I'm a product of the western U.S. So I chose to shoot a self-portrait that celebrates that.

2015 An electronic-only greeting celbrating the Christmas classics I grew up loving. Really, this was created just to be a Facebook "cover".

2017 What says Merry Christmas more than a vintage photo of a cute kid on Santa's lap? An exceptionally cute kid!

Christmas greetings from Monument Valley. It just so happens that this was shot a Ford's Point, after iconic film director John Ford. Yes, me made a John Wayne movie or two. Or three...