Christmas Card Winners! ~ AMMENDED!

Folks, we have had an Eleventh Hour submission, and therefore a NEW WINNER in our "Latest Card Received" category! See below!

Thank you for your patience as we have been feverishly working to wrap up this season's episode of "Look at THIS Christmas card!"

We are happy to announce our winners tonight. In the category of "Earliest Christmas Card Received" we have a new winner - The Taylor Family! Look at how they're all laughing at us for being so much later than them! They knew they had this one in the bag.

In contrast, we have the winner of the "Latest Card" - and I am thrilled to present to you a family who has never before sent letters out, and may never again after I embarrass them with this shout out! With no frills necessary, we got it straight from the heart of the Dave and Sabrina Litster family - complete with personalized note at the bottom!
Stop the presses! It appears I ended our contest one day too early! Postmarked February 3rd, received February 8th, we have a clear and unrivaled winner, the Rucker family.

I went to get the mail tonight, and what to my wondering eyes did appear, but a late Christmas card, from our friends, so dear. ;) This was a true Christmas card - no shame, no explanation. Just late. I love it. Complete with festive green paper, a family photo including a Christmas tree and grandchildren wearing Santa suits, and a two-page, single spaced family update, and a traditional Rucker plane-flying artwork card and well wishes that the spirit of Christmas may fill our home, this card may also be in the running for the "Most Elaborate Card"! But that would mess my post up too much, so they'll have to settle for being the Latest. Congratulations!

I hope you have noted the Christmas tree address label as well as the postmark date.

Which brings up an idea - why don't we just send cards all year long?

Moving on to the Distance categories: "It would have been cheaper to throw it over the fence" Award:

It's hard to compete with this family unless. . .well, unless you move in with us and then mail us a card. This card comes from our backyard neighbors, the Kippeses, complete with rhyming poem describing their year.

And with Erin and John spending Christmas in Paris this year, they get the "Card from Furthest Location" award. Isn't it so French and so pretty? How very foreign.

This year we are introducing some new categories: Most Elaborate/Most Efficient Cards. Under Most Elaborate Category, it seems only fitting that we have Subcategory A: Traditional and Subcategory B: Digital.

Winner of Most Elaborate: Traditional is Sister Meilstrup of Hershey PA! She sent a traditional Christmas card (that opened and closed!). Enclosed was a letter printed with an update on her beautiful family, complete with color pictures. And the reason that her card won me over - the hand written note inside, personalized to our family. Impressive!

Most Elaborate: Digital.

Undoubtably, this is a popular category this year. I mean, how many pictures CAN you squeeze onto one card, really? But to do it well takes an artist's eye. The winner goes to Allison and Jack. Gorgeous. Tells the whole story. Makes me feel reconnected with their lives and family. Well done!

Most Efficient

One word: Postcard. Was I was inspired! A Christmas card postcard! Did I feel slighted in the least? NO! This card had it all: family picture, Christmas wishes, names and ages of kids, even a return address! We received a few similar cards this year, but this was the only TRUE postcard - no envelope! Check it out, the postage was only 28 cents! Something to think about for next December...Congrats, Benson Family!

Best Family Picture:

Now we enter into the realm of the subjective. Look, I don't know why, but we have a lot of artistic, beautiful friends, okay, so I'm going to have to expand this category a little bit.

Subcategory: Composition

Winner: Furedy Family!

I have it on good authority (Carrie told me) that the entire Card layout was thrown out and reconfigured to align with this amazing photo. Good move! The moment captured here is priceless!

Picture to Layout Coordination:

Winner: The Watsons

I have to give props - they somehow made it look like it could be cold in AZ in this beautiful picture. And do you notice how their outfits match the card layout? It was so pretty hanging on my wall!

Child Model Category:

Winners: Morley Boys

Get these boys an agent already!

Overall Gorgeousness:

Winner:Telford Family

This includes card layout, theme, beautifulness of children and adults, amazing coordinating outfits, background. Seriously, this card could go into a Christmas card art museum. Is it weird if I frame this and hang it in my house?

And last but not least, we have our Literary Category. I noticed a trend this year in fewer written letters - maybe people figure that talking to friends all year on facebook and blogs was enough words? Anywho, it was lovely to sit down to some good old-fashioned snarkiness, typed, printed, and mailed directly to my house.

I leave you with this nugget of wisdom, ripped from the pages of the John Parmley Family Christmas letter:

"In a world of darkness and despair, where hope is lost and yesterday's dream home is today's foreclosure, where American's long slow sunset foretells doom for all, where can one turn for joy? Is it here? Does this letter, this mere trinket of holiday joy hold the ember to fan the flames of victory over terror, despair and recession? Maybe. It is quite good."

Yes, John, your letter did bring joy to our home, as did all of your Christmas letters. We love every one of them!

Congratulations to you all, and to all a good night!