10 Christmas cards from the 2022 ACCA

As we received fewer cards this year, as detailed on the Annual Christmas Card Audit (ACCA) post yesterday, I have limited my selection of favourite cards from the audit to just ten. There were lots of great cards, but these were the ones that particularly stood out. 

The first card I want to show off is one that was sent to me by Jon in Melbourne. I met Jon through an online discussion forum and he contacted me a few months back saying how he liked the audits I wrote and he wanted to send us a Christmas card. I liked it so much it's the lead-off card in this post!

Australian animals wearing Santa hats? I might never have met Jon in real life, but boy, did he know what kind of card to send me!

I try to include at least one religious themed card in my yearly selection. I'm counting this one as the religious one this year, even though it's not explicit. Cathy said she really liked the way the dove was drawn, which swayed me towards including it.

Speaking of Cathy, there's a 'couples card'. We had a couple of couples cards, but I only had room for one in the selection.

Robins were a resurgent category this year. This robin design from Oxfam included Christmas greetings in lots of languages, including Cymraeg, which edged it against lots of other cards.

The next card would give me an opportunity to rant about the ballad of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and how Rudolph should have told all those other reindeer to suck it after the way they treated him. But Christmas is a season of goodwill and all that, and besides, if Rudolph has decided to forgive the other reindeer and include them on his team, then who am I to bear a grudge on his behalf?

Some members of "Team Rudolph" had glittery accessories. Glitter doesn't scan very well, so you will have to take my word for it. Overall glitter use was way down this year on the Christmas cards, which is good news.

Occasionally a fairly simple design from an unexpected source gets my attention. This card was sold in Morrisons supermarkets. I think it's a lovely, effective representation of a Christmas tree that really stands out. 

'Christmas elf' was a returning category this year. Technically it was Christmas elves, plural. Our friends Sara and Leanne dressed their twins up for a delightfully cute photo-card. Because, let's be honest, if you're not going to dress them up as props for your Christmas card, what really is the point of having kids?

I am planning to keep that card until the twins are old enough to be terribly embarrassed by it, and then fish it out to show them. Well, someone has to...

We are getting to business end of the post now. Some people get quite competitive trying to send a card that will be my favourite. The remaining three cards are all from family members. They all pin-pointed certain known preferences that I have blogged about before.

So, in sort of third place, my sister Sarah sent us this.

Dogs in Santa hats with a joke on the front and a greeting in Cymraeg? Several boxes ticked there. Just having dogs in Santa hats is likely to get your card a place in the selection. This card takes it to a new level. 

In runners up spot, with yet another podium finish, is Cathy's cousin, Adam. I don't know if he chose this because of my interest in stamp collecting, or just because he was looking for the most off the wall design possible. 

"Replaced with a lump of coal" made me laugh out loud when I opened it. Sounds about right! 

Adam's card was the clear winner for several days, until this final card arrived. 

Yep, it's a narwhal delivering Christmas presents and food. It's just adorable, despite the lack of a Santa hat - but fairylights around his horn is a fine substitute.

The sender was my sister-in-law Abby, who has form for sending good cards - she usually places high in the selection post including a number one spot back in 2018. 

We are, of course, grateful for all the cards we receive whether they feature on the blog or not - so thank you to everyone who sent us one!