The Progression of the Goofy Christmas Card

If you missed past years, or you're curious about the inspiration behind each year, enjoy this recap! 



2012 - This was the year that started it all! It was the first year I participated in "No Shave November". At the end of the month I had a full beard going, and I started gradually shaving parts off. Eventually it got down to this horrible mustache (before they were cool), and I just HAD to do something with it! What better way than a goofy Christmas card. I had no idea how much of a hit it would be!
As they say, the rest is history.




2013 - This year I was really going for a 70's vibe with the bigger hair and the beard. It didn't quite come through the way I hoped, but it was a great follow up. It was also more proof that this trend wasn't just going to be a one or two year event. The polyester suit was rented from Decades Costumes, and those pants were REALLY tight!




2014 - I guess this one speaks for itself. I really decided to lean into the "goofy" part of the series and just went a completely different direction. Everyone really got the hint that there would be no guidelines for future cards. Fun Facts: this is the 2nd set of shorts because I cut the first pair WAY too short. Also, I made the wreath myself with Hamms beer cans and chew cans for that authentic trailer feel.



2015 - This year was one of the drought years, and Folsom Lake was really low. It was so bad, the photographer and I drove our cars quite a way down into the dry lake bed and set up for the shoot! I tied the ski rope to the tow-hook on the car for some tension and we got to work!



2016 - This year probably got the most positive feedback, and this is the favorite for a lot of people! This was one of my Granite Bay listings at the time. Kudos to the sign installation company, because that sign post definitely held my weight and didn't fall over. Also, holding on like this was MUCH harder than it looks. Holding on to the post and smiling was a challenge!



2017 - This was another year that current opportunities collided with Christmas! I had been growing my hair out for about a year and wanted to document it in some way before cutting it all off. Yes, that is my real hair. I went to my stylist and asked her to make my hair as big as possible. She looked at me like I was crazy, but made it happen. Also, yes, I painted that. It took me about 3 days, but it came together well enough. This was a really fun shoot, and there were a lot of alternate photos that didn't make the final cut!



2018 - I dont really remember what prompted this idea, but it was REALLY awkward. Imagine standing in line at the mall alone, in a onesie, in the line to see Santa. Everyone was looking at me and wondering what the heck was happening. I got a call later that day from someone telling me about it. Their sister called and told them about "some guy at the mall to see Santa." My friend actually guessed it may have been me. I guess I've gained a Christmas reputation!



2019 - In case you're not familiar, Burt Reynolds did a shoot for Cosmopolitan in the 70's which was my inspiration for this year. This one may have been the most "controversial" of all, but it also got the biggest reactions! The bear skin rug IS real. I used a friend's house for this shoot because of their amazing fireplace. My friend was in on it, but his wife didn't know! The photographer and I sneaked in, moved furniture all over, did the shoot, and sneaked out again. Imagine her surprise when she opened the card and eventually recognized her own house!



2020 - This really doesn't need any explanation. I really wanted to find a way to bring some humor to a current event while still respecting the gravity of the situation. What better way than rolls, and rolls, and rolls, and more rolls of toilet paper! I also made the offer to include a couple "extras" and my friend's kids jumped at the opportunity. They did a great job, and this ended up being a really fun shoot watching them try all different poses and faces!



2021 - Not my favorite year at all. I had just moved and really didn't have the time or mental energy to come up with something big. Again, this was an idea based on easy opportunity. I added a bunch of funny descriptions to the moving boxes, but that didn't come through on the photo as well as I hoped. I had Action Figures, Pokemon, Mac n Cheese, and multiple boxes of Toilet Paper. There may have been a couple others, but I don't remember at this point.



2022 - This year was inspired by the Saturday Night Live skit with Justin Timberlake. I've thought about it for a long time, and decided this was the year to make it happen! The view of the facial hair isn't as clear as I would like, but I copied the "chinstrap" cut from the SNL skit as well. If you know the skit, you'll probably get a laugh! The title of this card should be "Step 1..."



2023 - AI was just starting to become a household phrase, and I was excited about what it could do! Of course, I had to make sure the result was "goofy" enough. This is not what I expected, but it worked. Awkward, scary, and so ridiculous.



2024 - I kept seeing folks getting fooled by fake posts, and a lot of stories were coming out about how so many "influencers" are completely made up. I wanted to highlight this in a funny way, so we got what looks like a really perfect tree and setting, but it's really only about 18" tall and not really a full tree.