12 Days of Christmas Cards: Epilogue / Contest Winners-a-Plenty

I hope everyone had a great 12/25 and surrounding days. I had a very nice holiday.. good times.

Of course, the excitement here at the Breakdown was with the triumphant conclusion of our 12 Days of Christmas Cards extravaganza. In case you missed it, here's the final list:

Two thousand thirteen Topps Five Star Rickey Henderson and two thousand four Topps Retired Ralph Kiner
Two thousand nine Upper Deck Alex Karras
Two thousand four Donruss Vida Blue
Two thousand thirteen Panini Playbook Art Monk
Two thousand thirteen Spencer Scott Benchwarmer
Two thousand four Topps Retired Orlando Cepeda
Two thousand twelve thirteen Upper Deck Dominique Wilkins
Two thousand eight Topps Hanley Ramirez
Two thousand one Donruss Xavier Nady
Two thousand four Topps Retired Jim Piersall
Two thousand eleven Santonio Holmes Prime Signatures
And a Jody Gerut two thousand four Leaf

If you didn't read it, you should at least give a quick scroll through.. there's some neat photography and amusing photoshop jobs in there.

I've already bitched about how it wasn't my best idea to undertake this pre-Christmas event. Between being very busy at work, preparing to DJ my fiancée's brother's wedding (12/21), and just normal holiday stuff.. I was stressed to the max and very tight on time. But I'm proud I was able to get every post finished and up in time. And yeah, turns out holiday blog readership typically takes a dip, something I wasn't aware of as a rookie blogger. So all my hard work didn't generate the amount of views I was hoping for. I know I should stop caring about web traffic, but man, when you spend a couple hours on a post, and then only 3 or 4 people read it, it can't help but sting a bit.

Anyways, I'm still excited about my budding Christmas Card Collection. But I need to cool down because I've been spending too much money on cards lately (my eBay moratorium that was supposed to last through the end of the year really ended up breaking down after just a month). I should try to limit Christmas Card buying to the month of December, with occasional exceptions.. for example, I really want a Tim Raines 12/25 card ("Jingle Bell Rock", get it? Sorry, I love puns). And I'll be on the lookout for Christmas Cards of "top-tier guys I collect".. especially if I don't have any certified autos from them already.. might as well hold out till I find a nice card #'d 12/25. So expect an occasional post on the subject, even if it doesn't fit the time of year to be talking about Christmas. In a perfect world, I'll get a reputation around the blogosphere as "The Christmas Card guy," and anytime somebody pulls a card #'d 12/25, they'll immediately think of me and contact me about a trade.. or hell, if we're just daydreaming here-- they'll send me the card for free. Ah, the ultimate dream of a card blogger: receiving cards in the mail just because people like your blog. ...Someday!

And speaking of receiving free cards, let's announce the contest winners. Since I got so very few comments on this series of posts, I'm just going to go ahead and send cards to everyone who commented during the 12 Days.

Here are the festive 7:
Daniel Wilson
petethan
Bo
AdamE
night owl
P-town Tom
Nick

Ethan and Greg: well, I think the cards I send you two should count as trade packages, not contest winnings, since I've had some small Dodger stacks going for each of you based on past discussions. Plus Greg just won a contest of mine a month or two ago.

As far as Dan, Bo, Adam, Tom, and Nick.. I guess pick 1 card you want from the prize pool (first come first served), and I'll send ya a PWE with it plus a few cards from your favorite team. So, comment below and/or email me by the end of this weekend.
Thanks, guys!

Oh, and here are the Christmas Cards I've picked up recently:

LaMarr Hoyt. This is my first "cut autograph" card. Cards like this are usually pretty boring and legitimately suspect to me, but it was cheep: $1 plus postage, so grabbed inexpensive autos of Reggie Sanders and Cecil Cooper from the same seller to combine shipping.

Hoyt won the AL Cy in 1983 with the White Sox, but soon sputtered out then finished his career with a couple years in San Diego. Had he made the 12 Days countdown, I probably would have made a "Ho-Ho-Hoyt" joke.

Jim Palmer. Another 2013 Topps Five Star card. Happy to add an auto from this well-known HOFer to my collection-- a Christmas Card, no less. Not quite as exciting as the Rickey I picked up from this same set (see Day 12), but still very nice.

Bert Blyleven. Another kid in the Hall I like. Collecting Christmas Cards is a good excuse for me to get around to picking up "hits" of guys I semi-collect. You'll have to take my word for it since the serial number is on the back, but this is indeed a Christmas Card. Ugly card, but I'll take it.

Now these remaining few I'm going to show aren't "in hand" quite yet, just recently purchasing them in some "Christmas gift to myself" instances.

Spencer Scott! (Sorry for the poorly cropped scan; working with what eBay gives me.) If you were among the lucky few reading the 12 Days of Christmas Cards posts, you'll recognize the lovely Ms. Scott here from the 8th day. She seems to have enchanted me with her beauty to compel me to collect Christmas Cards of her. And the fact that this Christmas Card is ACTUALLY a Christmas Card ("Happy Holidays", at least), well, I had no choice but place a competitive bid. With two 12/25 cards of her, I feel like I'm a Spencer Scott supercollector now, at least when it comes to Christmas Cards.

Everett Williams. My 2nd Padres Christmas Card (after Day 4's X. Nady). A 2nd round pick in 2009, Everett is a weak-hitting outfield prospect. I kinda doubt he'll ever make the bigs, but I'll be pulling for him now.

Damn it!! Don't let me become a Benchwarmer collector! Don't let me do it. Pretty girls are fun to look at (unlimited pretty girl pictures on the internet for free!!!), but there's no need to pay money to own their autograph on a piece of cardboard. No No No! That said, I was thinking with another part of my body again, and placed a bid on another girlie card auto. This one was cheap, BUT STILL.

Oh well, here's some attractive lady named Billie Jo. As another Christmas Card Christmas Card, it was hard to resist. I actually bid on a few more similar cards of other females, but was mercifully outbid on them.

Finally, here we have the great ignitor Paul Molitor. This is another '13 Topps Five Star, but from the cool "Silver Signatures" inserts. These are nice looking cards. You gotta love Molitor. This is my 2nd certified auto of him, after scoring his 2004 Topps Retired card a couple months ago.

So yeah, that's all in my Christmas Card Collection at the moment. I've got a couple sniping bids pending, but after that I'll try to cool out on this mini-collection for a while and focus on some other collecting goals heading into the new year. Among the goals in my sights for 2014 are making serious ground on 1973 Topps and entering "supercolletor" territory for Nate Colbert, as well as continuing building my Greatest Gavins and finishing my 2004 Topps Retired auto set. I'll also work on some player collections, such as Gaylord Perry and Dick Allen. And every year, I like to pick up a poor condition Topps base Mickey Mantle or two. Maybe by the time I die I'll have all 18 (1952-1969). Thanks for reading and Happy New Year.

The Festival of Lightsabers begins today!

Just a quick break from baseball cards to share word of this joyous event I've celebrated the final week of December every year since 2007. 

The Festival of Lightsabers is the tradition of watching a Star Wars film each day between December 26 and 31. It's a terrific way to beat the post-Christmas blues and kick up the holiday season during that lull between Christmas and New Years. Hey, great excuse to experience the Star Wars saga in a special way!

The traditional schedule is as follows:

Dec 26: Episode I: The Phantom Menace
Dec 27: Episode II: Attack of the Clones
Dec 28: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
Dec 29: Episode IV: A New Hope
Dec 30: Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
Dec 31: Episode VI: Return of the Jedi

Modifications are allowed however. For instance, one year you can watch the original theatrical versions of the trilogy, and the next year you can mix it up with the "special edition" newer versions. Also, it is permitted to swap the prequels with other Star Wars related entertainment (because really, suffering through The Phantom Menace every frickin' year is simply asking too much!) For instance, in place of a prequel you could watch the animated Clone Wars series, the Star Wars Holiday Special, or even something like the Family Guy or Robot Chicken Star Wars specials if you like. The prequels can also be made more tolerable by playing them along with Rifftrax commentary or watching fan edit versions. If you get busy and have to skip a day, it is permitted, though not encouraged, to "double up" with 2 films in a day, or even bump the festival a day, thereby concluding on January 1st.

So those are the basics. I encourage everyone to take part this year and hopefully make it an annual tradition of your own!

12 Days of Christmas Cards: 12th Day (The Festive Finale, with a Peppermint Twist!)

Welcome to the 12th of 12 posts in this holiday extravaganza! I explained it in more detail in the prologue, but essentially I'm celebrating my twelve favorite Christmas Cards (cards that are serial numbered 12/25), one a day till Christmas. We've finally made it to the final day! Merry Christmas, everyone!

Ralph Kiner 2004 Topps Retired Signature Edition #'d 12/25

 Christmas Card :

 Holiday Music :
(A Christmas carol / holiday song for each card.)

"O Christmas Tree"

 Wrapping Paper :
(This is the section where I wrap up the card itself: the design, the photo, etc.)

This is a great looking refractor from my favorite high-end set, 2004 Topps Retired Signature Edition.

Not only is this an old school Hall of Famer, but what really puts this card up to the top of the Christmas Card List is it just looks Christmasy! Just check out that tree on the left.. That's not Photoshopped, it's actually there! Looks like it would make a fine Christmas tree, good enough to please the fickle Peanuts gang. Young Ralph here looks like a kid who just unwrapped a brand new bat, proudly posing with it in front of the tree while his parents snap a couple photos.

Just a beautiful card and a perfect expression of Christmas in the trading card medium.

Look at that incredible red-to-black text ratio! He sure made the most of a 10-year career.

 Naughty or Nice :
(This is the section where I check my list twice on the subject of the card.)

Ralph Kiner is pretty awesome.

The quickest MLB player to hit 100 Home Runs (376 Games) until passed by Ryan Howard (325 games). The quickest MLB player to hit 200 Home Runs (706 Games) until passed by Ryan Howard (658 games). And the quickest MLB player to hit 300 Home Runs (1,087 Games); Ryan Howard couldn't quite match that one!

Missed 3 years of his younger days serving his country in WWII, limiting his lifetime totals.

After his playing days, became a beloved broadcaster for the Mets.

 Yuletide Stat :
(Here's where I dig around for a Christmas-y stat.)

Well, he's from Santa Rita, NM. Santa Rita!

 Spreading the Christmas Spirit :
(Here's where I photoshop the card to make it even more Christmasy than it already is.)

 Singalong :
(Here's where we keep a running tab of the 12 Days of Christmas Cards so far... in song.)

On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me:
Two thousand four Topps Retired Ralph Kiner
Two thousand nine Upper Deck Alex Karras
Two thousand four Donruss Vida Blue
Two thousand thirteen Panini Playbook Art Monk
Two thousand thirteen Spencer Scott Benchwarmer
Two thousand four Topps Retired Orlando Cepeda
Two thousand twelve thirteen Upper Deck Dominique Wilkins
Two thousand eight Topps Hanley Ramirez
Two thousand one Donruss Xavier Nady
Two thousand four Topps Retired Jim Piersall
Two thousand eleven Santonio Holmes Prime Signatures
And a Jody Gerut two thousand four Leaf

Happy Holidays, and thanks for joining us for this celebration of Christmas Cards!

 Stocking Stuffer :
(A bit of bonus content)
Thanks again for--- Oh, it's a Christmas Miracle! There's a bonus Christmas Card atop the tree!

Rickey Henderson 2013 Topps Five Star #'d 12/25

 Christmas Card :

ARE YOU KIDDIN' ME????! NICE!

 Holiday Music :
(A Christmas carol / holiday song for each card.)

"We Three Kings"

"We Three Kings" sounds like something Rickey would say about himself, referring to Rickey being the Stolen Base King, the Run King, and the Leadoff Home Run King.

This up there is easily my favorite version of the song, from the Claymation (California Raisins) Christmas Special, featuring some funky camels. Loved it as a kid in the 80s, and thankful for YouTube for reuniting us.

 Wrapping Paper :
(This is the section where I wrap up the card itself: the design, the photo, etc.)

Topps Five Star is apparently a new set, just hitting the market in time for the holidays. It actually debuted last year, but I don't recall ever hearing about it until this month when the '13 set was released. It's one of those high-end, expensive sets. A lot of great autograph and relic inserts in this set, several of which are #'d /25, meaning it's full of lovely Christmas Cards such as this "Rainbow Foil" beauty.

Nice on-card auto. Another very thick card. The back features 5 highlights from the player's career. I'll take it. Better than just "Congratulations!", though I still always prefer full stats on the back.

 Naughty or Nice :
(This is the section where I check my list twice on the subject of the card.)

Rickey is statistically speaking the greatest baseball player of the past 50 years (ignoring the artificially-inflated numbers of Bonds and Clemens).

I've been hankerin' for a certified Rickey auto for a while now, and the fact that I scored a Christmas Card of him is awesome. EXTRA awesome when you consider that RICKEY HENDERSON'S BIRTHDAY IS CHRISTMAS DAY!!! So not only is this a Christmas Card, but IT'S ALSO A BIRTHDAY CARD!!! [Birthday Card = any serial numbered card that is #'d the subject's MM/DD birthday]. So great. So f'ing great!

I feel like I've got some solidarity with him having a holiday birthday, as I just blew out the candles yesterday. I'm not sure how Rickey feels about sharing his big day, but personally, I've always loved having a Christmas Eve birthday. As a kid, I always was out of school for my birthday. Everybody was in a happy, festive mood. Often, extended family would be in town. Lots and lots of presents. Good times.

Rickey's also in a "top tier player collecting goal" of mine as a former Padre in the Hall of Fame. I mean, I'd like him even if he never played for San Diego, but the fact he took a couple tours as a Friar in the (exteeeeeeended) twilight of his career.. well, that's just icing on the cake.

I saw him on TV in this past season's All-Star Game celebrity softball game, and damned if he didn't still look to be in amazing shape, with that sweet, quick swing, like he hadn't missed a beat from his playing days, taking celebrities deep like it was nothing. Honestly, if some MLB club had the balls to invite him to spring training next year, even now, I'd bet you he would not only make the team but have above-league-average OBP and look good doing it. Really!

 Yuletide Stat :
(Here's where I dig around for a Christmas-y stat.)

Rickey Henderson was born on Christmas Day. You can't beat that.

 Spreading the Christmas Spirit :
(Here's where I photoshop the card to make it even more Christmasy than it already is.)

 Singalong :
(Here's where we keep a running tab of the 12 Days of Christmas Cards so far... in song.)

On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me:
Two thousand thirteen Topps Five Star Rickey Henderson and two thousand four Topps Retired Ralph Kiner
Two thousand nine Upper Deck Alex Karras
Two thousand four Donruss Vida Blue
Two thousand thirteen Panini Playbook Art Monk
Two thousand thirteen Spencer Scott Benchwarmer
Two thousand four Topps Retired Orlando Cepeda
Two thousand twelve thirteen Upper Deck Dominique Wilkins
Two thousand eight Topps Hanley Ramirez
Two thousand one Donruss Xavier Nady
Two thousand four Topps Retired Jim Piersall
Two thousand eleven Santonio Holmes Prime Signatures
And a Jody Gerut two thousand four Leaf

Happy Holidays, and I hope you enjoyed this list of 12+ wonderful Christmas Cards!

 Stocking Stuffer :
(A bit of bonus content)

Well, that's it for the 12 Days of Christmas Cards. I feel like I should make a separate "epilogue" post, but we'll see if I get around to it. Since coming up with the list, I've added a few new additions to my Christmas Card Collection. I should probably show those off.

Thanks again for reading. Hope you enjoyed it half as much as I did. It was stressful and frustrating at times, but overall I'm proud of my work on these past 12 posts, and expect to probably win some sort of Card Blogging Award for it at some point in the near future.

Oh, contest! Contest of Christmas Present! Role call. Are you present? Just leave a comment on this post sometime today (Christmas Day 2013, whooo!). I'll randomize and a lucky winner will get some free cards.
[12/26/13 UPDATE - contest closed. Thanks, everybody! I'll post the winner in the next day or two]

12 Days of Christmas Cards: 11th Day (Webster Christmas Episode)

Welcome to the 11th of 12 posts in this holiday extravaganza! I explained it in more detail in the prologue, but essentially I'm celebrating my twelve favorite Christmas Cards (cards that are serial numbered 12/25), one a day till Christmas. Yippee!

Alex Karras 2009 Upper Deck Heroes #'d 12/25

 Christmas Card :

 Holiday Music :
(A Christmas carol / holiday song for each card.)

Santa Claus is Coming To Town

Ok, not an exact match, but isn't he the most cherubic, jolly football player you've ever seen? Total "Santa" type.

And, bonus song, here's one of my favorite more obscure holiday songs, called "Pete's Dad". It's fitting since Karras was a popular TV dad. Karras, like Pete's Dad, suffered from cancer, though it was liver failure that eventually got him. Sad that we lost him last year, but 77 is a lotta years, at least.



 Wrapping Paper :
(This is the section where I wrap up the card itself: the design, the photo, etc.)

This is a great card. The painting recalls classic Topps sets from the 50s.

Serial number on the front. The on-card autograph kinda gets lost in the shadowing of Alex's stomach, but still nice.

The back sucks, though, with two of my card pet peeves: the dreaded "Congratulations!" back and a recycled picture already shown on the front of the card.

 Naughty or Nice :
(This is the section where I check my list twice on the subject of the card.)

I love old football cards. They're just neat and seem "fresher" to me than baseball cards, since I've seen Topps' baseball card designs so many times over the years. Their football card designs, on the other hand, are relatively foreign to me. Fun to check them out.

But the thing is, I know so few old school football players. I've just never been that into football, especially not way back before I was born. I know the big names like Joe Namath and Jim Brown, but not much other than the top superstars of the time. So a guy like Alex Karras (Wikipedia, football-reference) appeals to me because, while he had a very good career, he wasn't quite a Hall of Famer, but really became a part of American culture with his acting. I remember watching Webster when I was a kid, so it's cool to have cards of Webster's dad, even without him being a well-respected football player.

Holy crap, I didn't ever realize till now, researching this post, that he plays Mongo in Blazing Saddles.. Seriously?! How did I not know that? I love that movie and have watched it dozens of times. Wow, so that's just an added bonus. This card is a Christmas Card autograph of a guy who was a 4-time Pro-Bowler, plus starred for years on a very popular sitcom, and had a memorable role in one of the best comedies of all-time.

I'm also just now learning that Webster's mom on the show was Karras' real-life wife, and they were still together when he died. So add to all his accomplishments the rare feat of a lasting Hollywood marriage. Hat's off to the big guy. How awesome was this man?! DAMN!!! Makes me appreciate this card all the more.

 Yuletide Stat :
(Here's where I dig around for a Christmas-y stat.)

The NFL didn't really start playing games on Christmas until just after Karras retired. However, his final NFL game was 12/26/70, a playoff loss to the Cowboys. I'll bet Karras was up all night wassailing, and that hurt his game. Oh well, that's the price you gotta pay for being merry to the fullest.

 Spreading the Christmas Spirit :
(Here's where I photoshop the card to make it even more Christmas-y than it already is.)

 Singalong :
(Here's where we keep a running tab of the 12 Days of Christmas Cards so far... in song.)

On the eleventh day of Christmas, my true love gave to me:
Two thousand nine Upper Deck Alex Karras
Two thousand four Donruss Vida Blue
Two thousand thirteen Panini Playbook Art Monk
Two thousand thirteen Spencer Scott Benchwarmer
Two thousand four Topps Retired Orlando Cepeda
Two thousand twelve thirteen Upper Deck Dominique Wilkins
Two thousand eight Topps Hanley Ramirez
Two thousand one Donruss Xavier Nady
Two thousand four Topps Retired Jim Piersall
Two thousand eleven Santonio Holmes Prime Signatures
And a Jody Gerut two thousand four Leaf

Happy Holidays, and see you tomorrow for the last Christmas Card!

 Stocking Stuffer :
(A bit of bonus content)

Today's my birthday! For reals! If you want to give me a gift, perhaps consider plugging the wonderful Baseball Card Breakdown on your blog. Maybe then there will be a Christmas Miracle and people will actually start reading this 12 Days of Christmas Cards series. Five hits.. FIVE HITS i've been getting lately. So much stress and work to make it all happen for 5 fruckin' hits. Photo taking. Scanning. Photoshopping. Researching. Writing. This'll definitely be the last time I commit myself to daily posting for any specified period.. ESPECIALLY during the holidays, when time is tight enough as it is. I should have given away a 1952 Topps card during it, then maybe people would have bothered reading. Dang. Oh well. Sorry for whining. As is my typical excuse for ranting about something, the blog is called Baseball Card Breakdown, so I'm allowed a breakdown from time to time. Thanks, you five guys out there reading! Have a very Merry Christmas.

12 Days of Christmas Cards: 10th day (Vida Blue Christmas)

Welcome to the 10th of 12 posts in this holiday extravaganza! I explained it in more detail in the prologue, but essentially I'm celebrating my twelve favorite Christmas Cards (cards that are serial numbered 12/25), one a day till Christmas. Here's a fun one.. a Vida Blue Christmas card.

Vida Blue 2004 Donruss Timelines #12/25

 Christmas Card :

 Holiday Music :
(A Christmas carol / holiday song for each card.)

"Blue Christmas"

Yesterday, I mentioned Christmas with the Chipmunks was a perennial holiday favorite of mine. The Beach Boys' Christmas Album is right there with it as another album I've listened to at least once every Christmastime since I can remember.

Seeing as this is an Oakland A's card, "Greensleeves" is another apt song. I already posted the John Coltrane jazz version a couple days ago, but here's a nice orchestral version.

 Wrapping Paper :
(This is the section where I wrap up the card itself: the design, the photo, etc.)

Ah, I miss Donruss. (A panini is a type of a sandwich.. dumb name for a sportscard company.) I also miss non-Topps baseball cards with logos.

Sticker auto. This is a decent-looking card, but really the reason it's so high on my list of favorites is that I love Vida Blue. (and yes, the Blue Christmas pun is pretty great.)

 Naughty or Nice :
(This is the section where I check my list twice on the subject of the card.)

Back during my initial stint of collecting in the early 90s, one of my prized cards was a Vida Blue RC. I still have it and smile every time I flip through my cards and it comes up. Not sure exactly how he became one of my main collecting guys, since he never played for my hometown Padres or anything. I probably gravitated toward him because (a) he has a cool name, and (b) he often looks like he's genuinely having a good time on his cards.. his '71 and '74 Topps cards, especially.

Vida had that one amazing year mentioned on the card back above, and a few other really good years, picking up 3 rings along the way.

 Yuletide Stat :
(Here's where I dig around for a Christmas-y stat.)

I came up dry here, so instead I'll mention that Vida Blue's middle name is Rochelle. That's pretty funny.

 Spreading the Christmas Spirit :
(Here's where I photoshop the card to make it even more Christmas-y than it already is.)

 Singalong :
(Here's where we keep a running tab of the 12 Days of Christmas Cards so far... in song.)

On the tenth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me:
Two thousand four Donruss Vida Blue
Two thousand thirteen Panini Playbook Art Monk
Two thousand thirteen Spencer Scott Benchwarmer
Two thousand four Topps Retired Orlando Cepeda
Two thousand twelve thirteen Upper Deck Dominique Wilkins
Two thousand eight Topps Hanley Ramirez
Two thousand one Donruss Xavier Nady
Two thousand four Topps Retired Jim Piersall
Two thousand eleven Santonio Holmes Prime Signatures
And a Jody Gerut two thousand four Leaf

Happy Holidays, and see you tomorrow for the next Christmas Card!

 Stocking Stuffer :
(A bit of bonus content)

Ah, a vacation day. Finally a chance to just chill out. Feels good. Still got lots to do, though.. Wrap gifts, chores around the house, etc. I hope you guys out there are having a fun and safe mid-December to remember.

12 Days of Christmas Cards: 9th day (An Art Monk Christmas)/Happy Birthday Steve Garvey!

Welcome to the 9th of 12 posts in this holiday extravaganza! I explained it in more detail in the prologue, but essentially I'm celebrating my twelve favorite Christmas Cards (cards that are serial numbered 12/25), one a day till Christmas. We're in the home stretch now!

Art Monk 2013 Panini Playbook #'d 12/25

 Christmas Card :

 Holiday Music :
(A Christmas carol / holiday song for each card.)

The Chipmonk Song

Christmas with the Chipmunks has been one of my favorite Christmas albums since I was a young'un. I gotta admit I placed a very competitive bid on this particular card mainly because I wanted to make this Chipmunk/Monk joke. Please take an extra moment to appreciate it so I'll get my money's worth. [Pause to appreciate.] Ok, let's move on.

This isn't the original version of the song, but it's the closest I could find on YouTube. Whoever owns the rights to the classic Chipmunk recordings must be a grinch, yanking them down.

 Wrapping Paper :
(This is the section where I wrap up the card itself: the design, the photo, etc.)

Nice looking card. Sticker auto.

 Naughty or Nice :
(This is the section where I check my list twice on the subject of the card.)

(I partied it up at my to-be brother-in-law's wedding last night. It was a lot of fun. Pretty exhausted. Keeping this post short.) For more info on the esteemed Mr. Monk, well, you can read the card back above and/or here's his wikipedia entry.

 Yuletide Stat :
(Here's where I dig around for a Christmas-y stat.)

Sorry, no time to dig up a stat today, but I will mention Art is another December baby, born 12/5/57.

 Spreading the Christmas Spirit :
(Here's where I photoshop the card to make it even more Christmas-y than it already is.)

 Singalong :
(Here's where we keep a running tab of the 12 Days of Christmas Cards so far... in song.)

On the ninth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me:
Two thousand thirteen Panini Playbook Art Monk
Two thousand thirteen Spencer Scott Benchwarmer
Two thousand four Topps Retired Orlando Cepeda
Two thousand twelve thirteen Upper Deck Dominique Wilkins
Two thousand eight Topps Hanley Ramirez
Two thousand one Donruss Xavier Nady
Two thousand four Topps Retired Jim Piersall
Two thousand eleven Santonio Holmes Prime Signatures
And a Jody Gerut two thousand four Leaf

Happy Holidays, and see you tomorrow for the next Christmas Card!

 Stocking Stuffer :
(A bit of bonus content)

Hey everybody! It's Steve Garvey's birthday!

Garvey & Gwynn were the big two guys on the Padres back when I was first becoming aware of baseball, so I've always had a good deal of reverence for him. He's getting special birthday mentions today thanks to an exciting contest at the excellent blog Garvey Cey Russell Lopes. Check it out.