Believe it or not, this year we are celebrating 25 years of these off-the-wall Christmas cards. It was inspired by the long-ago trend of Christmas letters printed at home on commercially designed letterhead. Those letters often painted a family picture that surpassed any Norman Rockwell painting. They could read more like a resume than a holiday greeting, sometimes listing achievements in terms so glowing it was blinding.
Those letters sparked my imagination.
I wondered – What if I could come up with a year-in-review sort of greeting card with a picture of the family as part of the design, something that creates its own memories, and that brings a little happiness to our “guest list”?
THROUGH THE YEARS
Over the years, as technology became both more accessible and sophisticated, the cards evolved. They went from handmade stamped, embossed, glittered, and folded to photos incorporated into a digital design that had popped into my head. Regardless of the format, the mission remained the same – report on our year, but make our friends and family grin, giggle and/or guffaw.
When I first began thinking about our 25th anniversary card, I told Tim and the kids, “This year it’s either Go Big or Go Home.” For any of you who know me well, “Go Big” was the only realistic option. Once I settled on Go Big, I had to decide on a theme.
Since David and Allison became engaged on New Year’s 2025, I decided to include a family picture on this year’s card to introduce you to Allison and show you how big our grands are. So how did I get from Go Big + a family picture to the card you have in hand?
THE PROCESS
The process of creating these cards is the same every year and usually begins in September. Reflections on what our family has experienced through the year start scrolling through my mind. And every single year, from that quiet internal reminiscing, a theme emerges. I have never manufactured a theme. Not once. A theme always reveals itself – I just serve the theme. 🙂
DEVELOPING A THEME
Coming up with a theme is an organic process. In 2025, my 3x great-grandfather, Moses Crow, became our extended family’s favorite ancestor. He was born in South Carolina, and through the years, many genealogists and family historians have researched the Moses Crow family. Although all of us hit a proof brick wall from about 1790-1805, the stories about Moses found in compilations of other family historians were all the same.
In the stories, Moses Crow left home in his early teens and became a “freebooter” (a pirate). Not only that, but my 3x great-grandmother, whose name none of us have ever found, was a Caribbean native whom Moses brought to South Carolina Click for a crazy story about Moses.
In September, with Moses on my mind and as Tim and I were meandering along the coast of North Carolina in “VanDalf the Gray”, we stood on the beach, looking at the place where Blackbeard was killed, and suddenly the theme for the Christmas card pounded me like the surf: “Yo, Ho, Ho! A Pirate Christmas!”
With visions of “A Pirate Christmas” now dancing in my head, I pitched the idea to kids, fully expecting them to roll their eyes and refuse to play along. “Let’s have a Pirate Christmas. I’ll take your picture with you wearing whatever interpretation of pirate you want. It can be a lot. It can be a little. I don’t care. Just have fun. Then I’ll take all the photos and merge them (somehow) into a story.
It was quite ambitious and I had no idea how I was going to do it. I just chose to believe in Christmas magic.
BUILDING THE STORY
First, pirates need a ship.
The ship on the card is a combination of multiple AI elements, some original elements created in Photoshop, along with tweaking the lighting, perspective, and more. In this almost-right image, you can see AI only goes so far…see the missing rigging on the right and the dangling ropes on the left? And Generative Fill could not have been more unhelpful. Good thing I enjoy Photoshopping!
After more time than I care to admit, I had a ship I liked – not perfect, but since lack of perfection was part of the original card’s mission, I declared the ship good enough.
With the ship in place, I needed the crew.
THE CREW
Our crew members were enthusiastic but lacked the appropriate gear for this imaginary Christmas cruise. We began shopping for pieces that amused us individually. Some outfits came easily – Google “pink pirate dress for girls”. Others were more difficult – Liam sits firmly between boys’ and men’s sizes, so I made a Jack Sparrow-inspired vest for him.
With everyone outfitted, it was time for photo shoots. I converted our living room into a makeshift studio using my “real” camera, tripod, and reflected speedlights. One by one, family groups arrived, and I spun their tale.
LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION!
The Captain and First Mate
“We have lived long and worked hard. The sea is familiar to us as we have had to navigate rough waters along with delightful times of smooth sailing. Our job is not yet done. We are still leading, looking toward the future, illuminating the way.”
The Armorer and his Bride
“Your wedding is in four months. You are looking to the horizon, envisioning a future life together. He is prepared to protect and defend her. (his 7-year-old-boy wooden sword in hand and a pirate-y weapon strapped to his belt) She is a strong and confident woman, ready and willing to cover him when an enemy attacks.
The Cabin Girl
“Pretend you are standing on a pirate ship and that Santa and his reindeer are flying through the sky behind you. You have seen Santa, and you are SO excited! You are pointing to him so we all can see him!
The Deckhand
His tale was more collaborative. “Pretend you are on a zipline wielding your sword in your left hand. The Boy, “But Mimi, I’m right-handed. I should hold the sword in my right hand.” Me, “But if you do, you will decapitate Mimi and Pop as you fly down the zipline.” The Boy (giggling), “Got it!”
The Swashbucklers
You bring the party to the ship. You are looking straight at the camera, pretending to evaluate those considering boarding our make-believe ship. You want to laugh and play? You want a late-night, hilarious text exchange that leaves you with tears rolling down your face? Well, these two are looking straight at you, determining whether you’ve got the stamina to party with them.
FINISHED PRODUCT
This card will likely be the family’s forever favorite. Imagining it, gearing up for it, then getting together one by one for personal photo shoots created memories that will last a lifetime.
Tim and I have loved and led the family for 40 years. We had the vision, determination, and laughter to sea it through (see what I did there?). In our pirate photo, we are looking to the horizon, holding a lantern to guide the way, wearing our years with confidence and pride.
PS. A card wouldn’t quite be complete without a little VanDalf the Gray update. It is proving to be a road-worthy home-away-from-home. Everything is working as we had envisioned – not bad for beginner van-builders. One of our 2025 highlights was taking it on a ferry to Ocracoke Island, where we enjoyed the ocean – up close and personal – relying completely on our solar power.
