Robert - Merry Christmas from...

Sending out Christmas cards has changed in the last thirty years. With cheaper printing and more people going digital, its now almost obligatory for people to send out pictures of their children, themselves, or even their pets. Usually parents feel compelled to dress up their children, haul them in front of a camera, and pray for good results. Some dont really care about being original or creative, some care but dont have the time, others have the time but not the inspiration. But we still love receiving these cards; its a chance to catch up with friends, note how big their children are getting, and catch up on their lives. What we get the biggest kick out of, though, is receiving cards by our friends who somehow found the time, the inspiration, or the good luck to create cards that stand out on the mantelpiecethose cards that somehow rise above the rest and surprise us with their irrepressible creativity, off-beat uniqueness, or sheer genius.

This book is about the cards that make us slap our foreheads and say, Why didnt I think of that? I admit to being a bit obsessed with Christmas cards. I keep a notebook full of ideas, and months before Christmas I start thinking about our annual card far more than a normal person should. Probably its my way of keeping my brain active while caring for four children. When I got the idea for this book I began in earnest tracking down the wonderful and wacky cards that I love; after looking through tens of thousands of peoples personal cards, I finally selected these 150. My criteria were that they had to be extremely funny, strange, delightful, beautiful, or touching, and that they had to actually have been sent out as Christmas cards. None are commercial cards.

What I think makes these cards even more interesting is that they are not created for the masses; they are meant to be seen by only a select few before they are, more often than not, thrown away. In this way Christmas cards are almost an exclusive art form; they become even more precious when you realize how temporary they are meant to be. Many cards that I thought were amazing couldnt be included because the file or negative had been lost. This book documents some enchanting cards so that they are saved for others to see and be inspired by. I would like to thank all of the people who created these cards for sharing them with us and allowing us a glimpse into their private lives. For some, allowing us to reprint their cards was a difficult decision, as if I were asking them to send their personal cards to absolute strangers; in a sense, that is indeed what I was asking of them.

In fact, to further this idea, many people have included a holiday greeting. They all have a different way of saying it, but underneath, the message is the same: one of gratitude, warm wishes, or just an excuse to make someone laugh with joy. Isnt that what this time of year is all about? Photograph by Michael Donnelly, design by Karen Robert, graphics by Andy Kaynor It seems appropriate, therefore, that 50 percent of my proceeds for this book go to charity; the creativity found here does not belong to me, after all. The charity was an obvious choice: The Smile Train, which provides free surgery to children with cleft palates in the developing world. Since there are so many smiling children on the following pages, it seems right that this book provides other children with the ability to smile fully for the first time in their lives. Happiness is contagious, after all.

Merry Christmas,
Karen Robert