Three Ships, America and the 2014 Christmas Card

It’s that time of year again where we celebrate the much-honored Yuletide tradition of letting you behind the scenes of our Christmas card. If you didn’t quite make the cut of our coveted junk mail list, fear not. Just settle in with your hot toddy and join us for a journey down the creativity chimney.

(And if you are seriously green with envy over the occasional propaganda, you can always sign up for our email fan club. Elbow, elbow.)

This year is especially significant. We were able to pay tribute to an obscure Christmas carol from across the pond and a 163-year-old, German-American painting. Credit where credit’s due, the genesis of 2014’s idea belongs to none other than our fearless leader’s wife, Allison Aars. Sure she’s not on the payroll, why shouldn’t she upstage us all?

“You should make the card I Saw Three Ships (Come Sailing In). Your logo is a boat,” came the innocent suggestion.

Fine, fine. It is a good idea. But how do we save our pride and muscle the idea to the really memorable? The audacious? The brazen? The saucy? Sassy? Shameless?

(Somebody got a thesaurus for Christmas.)

George Washington you say? Santa suits?

Buckle up.

Based on the Christmas of 1776 immortalized by zee one-and-only Emanuel Gottlieb Luetze, we humbly bring you what was in those ships all three, on Christmas day in the morning…