“Happy Holidays” Cards
Every year my husband Fabian and I draw, art direct and review the past year for our friends and family. It’s a fun collaboration and exercise in compromise.
2025: We continued to recycle unused printed cards from the past but glued a new drawing on top. The desk clock shows 20:00, the lamp is in the shape or a "2" and the green "5" represents the flag of our new neighborhood where some nice local wine is produced. The mice bring holiday cheer.
2024: After 13 years, we have many old spare cards that I wanted to reuse. I bought a 2nd hand book with large photos and used them to cover previous illustrations. Fabian drew a contraption inspired by Rube Goldberg and Tinguely machines. The domino in the middle represents the year '24. We incorporated a fire breathing dragon for the Chinese new year.
2023: (2) We went back to Bretagne, France to celebrate my birthday but visited our friends in Provence on the way. (0) The Flower of Life (2) Visiting my mom on Florida, we saw many palm trees bending in the wind (3) DNA strands have been in the news
2022: Say it out loud either in English or in German! (2) Toucan (0) - nothing to see here - (2) Tutankhamun (2) Tulips
2021: (2) I became a Swiss citizen this year (0) Big brother is watching you (2) 2021 is the Year of the Ox in the Chinese zodiac (1) We remembered a time when Corona would be just a beer you sip on the beach
2020: (2) 2s are hard. Thank goodness a billiard ball can be a 2 within a 0. (0) (see above) (2) As a tie-in to 2019, we used one of our unused Exquisite Corpse drawings – this time in color. (0) We represented the Chinese year of the Rat by giving them a free ferris wheel ride.
In 2019, the Year of the Pig in the Chinese zodiac, we tried something different and played the Exquisite Corpse game. Invented in Paris around 1925 by the Surrealists, the task is to take turns drawing on a sheet of paper, fold the contribution and pass it on to the next person. We had a wonderful time experimenting and in the process made it difficult to find the 2019 numbers.
2018: (2) A snail fit well into our terrarium (0) We brought back a few beautiful cones from our trip to Carnac, France (1) Mushrooms were fun to draw (8) We started a small cactii garden (*) 2018 was the Year of the Dog in the Chinese horoscope, honored by a drawing of my beloved TobyDob
2017: (2) "Müsli" eating "Müesli" surely makes them "Müed" (0) We met Adam, Kelly, Hunter and Elise in Rome (1) A tribute to David Bowie and Prince (7) 2017 is the Year of the Rooster in the Chinese zodiac
2016: (2) 2016 is the Year of the Monkey in the Chinese zodiac (0) We saw Pluto's heart, from 3 billion miles away (1) Last year I discovered how delicious rhubarbs are (6) It's all going to be A-OK
2014: (2) 2014 was the Year of the Horse in the Chinese zodiac. I love seahorses. They mate for life and males carry the babies. (0) Sunny side up (1) Fabian loves Edelweiss flowers so we grew them on our balcony (4) I continued my hobby of making sock monkeys.
2015: (2) 2015 was the Year of the Sheep in the Chinese zodiac (0) Mom and I visited Sanibel once again, our sea shellers' paradise (1) Fabian and I spend a lovely weekend in Prague (5) Sun and moon (our drawings may smoke, but we don't)
2013: (2) Fabian and I went on a yoga cruise in Turkey (0) We also visited and loved Berlin (1) Bacon, because it makes everything better (3) 2013 was the Year of the Snake in the Chinese zodiac
2012: (2) 2012 was the Year of the Dragon in the Chinese zodiac (0) Alas, the aliens did not land (1) Switzerland is the land of cheeeeese (2) A tribute to Fabian's dedication to audio products
2011: (2) 2011 was the Year of the Rabbit in the Chinese zodiac (0) Wishing everyone good fortune, plus I was born in the year of the Pig (1) Fabian loves Legos (1) A gnome with a pipe, just because he's cool