For several years, I sent out handmade cards and unique Xmas newsletters for the holidays, starting with simple artistic cards that evolved into complex writing exercises done for the pure joy of producing humorous creative writing.
Seasonings Greetings
The first year, I created a simple woodblock print of two ornaments hanging on a tree. The ornaments represented salt and pepper shakers, and the words inside the card read,
“Seasonings Greetings!”
Peas On Earth
This was followed by a hand-colored black and white photo of two male friends who held a globe, a bag of frozen peas, and a wheel of gouda cheese. The sentiment inside this card read,
“Peas on Earth. Gouda Wheel. Two Men.”
O Chinese Elm
By the time my daughter was 5, I had started a humorous blog about our home renovation projects. Each new blog post was distributed via email to about 50 family members and friends.
While I worked on the house, my mind wandered into storytelling mode and that year’s Xmas newsletter was born.
This newsletter features familiar Xmas songs with new lyrics that tell amusing stories of home improvement projects, cutting down a tree, car trouble, too many spiders, and life with a 5-year-old.
The newsletter was (snail) mailed out to my blog audience, who loved it. Two friends even sang the whole thing in two-part harmony at a community Xmas party.
The Game
A couple years later, after a very difficult year, we relocated from Minneapolis to Oregon. That year’s card was a playable board game. Game squares described events in sequence, and several had instructions:
Get a new job – move ahead 2 squares.
Car accident – lose a turn.
Laid off from new job – return to “Job Hunting.”
Start freelance business – roll again.
Xmas Haiku
One year in response to a dare, I wrote a series of haikus for our annual Xmas newsletter. Even the contact info at the bottom of the letter is a haiku.
Skills used:
- Creativity & Imagination
- Storytelling
- Graphic Art (visual communication, ie: drawing, Photoshop, woodblock prints, etc)
- Graphic Design (visually delivering informational content, ie: layout, font & color choices, etc)
- Photography
- Humorous writing
Pam Noble 