HISTORY OF CHRISTMAS

So, having lots of free time (aren´t you jealous?), and being completely UNcreative and UNartistic, I decided the first Noel I was here, to make my own Christmas cards!
This, and the sad lack of original cards on sale.
AND….having met some extremely artistic people here who waste their talent, NOT marketing their products.
My first attempt was a sponged stencil in purple of the outline of Spain, with a stick-on silver star where Madrid should be (classy, eh!), and its own trail of gold glitter. Sad thing is that no-one realised it was a map of Spain, even those who´d visited or lived here. Even those who managed to get the map the right way up! I´ll dig an unsent one out and scan it (there´s always one you don´t send for lack of an address, or the addressee leaves for their holidays before you nab them – could this be a hint as to my artistic efforts?)
Then there are the Christmas emails (not necessarily the same as the hard copy).
Then, I may recycle the email version to send out the next year on paper.
So here they are – some are scans of rejected cards in relative order:

2001




Lost control of the spray/sponge paint!

2001

This one had a message about the arrival of the Euro, and how we all got excited about it!

2002

2004

Copied this one from a torn paper idea from a German artist´s card.

2005

The Christmas lights in Madrid are ALWAYS fantastic – good source of cards!

2005

Source – lost kitten on roof of station, sitting by complete coincidence with previous Xmas´s shopping bag! Home found within 3 months – now living life of Riley in swanky gentrified area of Madrid…

2006
I love my mobile phone camera!

2006
Colour and design of stick-on ornament and ribbon vary, according to supply!

And here are 2 potential candidates for future cards:

Taken 2 Christmases ago, at a local car filter shop window – cat now deceased due to extreme old age – shortly afterwards, the shop closed, and is now a mountain sports equipment outlet – that´s progress.....

Taken last Christmas dinner!

Taken THIS Christmas dinner! I give a no-trimmings-barred dinner mid-December to catch all those who leave the country (tax-evasion is my theory…) on the mass-exodus Easyjet, teacher-filled flights to the UK. Germany, USA, on the last Friday of term.


And here we all are, worse for wear!