Demon Santa

To prove that we are seasonally or regionally promiscuous, today we’re talking about Christmas across the nation. Several years ago, our good friend Jan Fleming gave us a wonderful catalogue of holiday cards. The Deer Crest collection for 1960 describes the cards as having “the magic touch of truly cognitive artists.” I guess this means they weren’t brain dead or operating at a purely physical or unemotional place. If that were the case, perhaps they would be white cards with black Helvetica type that says plainly, “Holiday”. Oh wait, I think I saw those at Crate and Barrel. The cover of the catalogue is remarkable. There are many wonderful cards in here, some very sappy, and others religious. My favorites include the demon Santa in the Jack-in-the-box. Why? What does it mean? Is the falling key metaphorical? I covet the yellow, green, and pink Christmas trees on the Santa sprinkle card. I’ve always wanted a seafoam colored tree, but the world is in a “good taste” phase, so I’ll need to wait until everyone is comfortable and begins to love the garish again.