This year we really had it together (and by we I mean my wife); in the past, December would sneak up on us and we'd rush to take a bad family picture and then print it off quickly at the nearest chain drug store to get something in the mail before the holidays. This year my wife saw the doodle Samantha Wedelich at dwelldeep did of me holding the kid after she fell asleep at a dinner party back in August and hired her to do the art for our 2009 holiday card. They corresponded for a few weeks and we sent Sam a dozen family photos (including the dog). This is what she came up with, and we were blown away when we saw the final artwork back in November. We asked Sam to do the text on the inside as well. Isn't her handwriting beautiful?
She added the boy's beloved coonskin cap (from Fort Ticonderoga) and the girl's Pegasus toy. When we received the finished product in the mail last week, we were blown away all over again. Sam did the printing and it's exceptional (and the kind of thing I would have done cheaply by myself, so I'm fortunate to have a wife who controls the purse strings and makes unmiserly decisions sometimes).
Next week we'll share the handmade presents we're making for the kids.
[The artist Sam does have an etsy shop and today is the last day for shipping before Christmas. Buy something from her before she realizes her prices are too low!]