New Britain herald., 1930-12-02
CHRISTMAS CARDS BEAR
 STAMP OF ORIGINAL ITY

l each year.
 Of course. if you are the kind
 of person to whom no failure in
 life is more ignominious than dis | covering on Christmas Day that
 the card you picked to send Mamie
 Thomas is precisely the one she
 chose to send you. then by all
 means have your own individual cards made.
 The childern can draw them.
 Or you can have a cutie little
 sketch. silhouette or water color made of your own hospitable fire. l place, front door. your pets, you | little shack in the country your
 boat or whatever you have that
 you can have an impersonal, in | dividual card made. This year
 English hunting scenes are excel | lent, or early American coaches. They are smarter than ship models But this business of getting just
 too individual or just too clever has reached its peak. Last year by the time the average American had vaded through 50 smart and smart -Alecky Christmas cards he reached out with a sigh of relief
 to q good old simple one that said the one word. Noel"
 Whether you design your own
 cards or buy them ready-made,
 get about it early make your choice and have them all addressed and stamped and out of the way before the Christmas rush really begins
 Some Want Formal Cards
 Many persons want two very different kinds of Christmas cards. A formal kind for business con- nections and new acquaintances and personal kind for intimate friends. The former may be a wood-cut. an old fashioned pie ture, or modern one, and may be accompanied by an engraved card instead of the sender writing his name on it. The latter can be anything on earth the sender wants.
 Generally speaking there are six divisions Of new Christmas greeting cards. Perhaps the old-fashioned ones lead the parade. These include reproduction of samplers, Godey prints, Curriel and Ives prints, Co., lonial carol singers in bright colors against q black and white print Of a New England winter, wood-cuts
 -e l. ct spots, and stee, engravings Of fla nous ctchings such as The Christmas Coach" They may be on parchment, linen, stiff card board or fine stocks that takes uook- blocking. Many arc in sil houettc also.
 Second in line come the mod crnistic ones. Stimulating the cur rent use of bright metals in mod crnistic furniture and ornamental ton of all kinds, these cards use silver and black, gold and crimson, Russian reds with either gold or silver. They are not q conglom- cration this year Of cubes, circles and angles. They seem 10 have evolved some theme, usually failing ;ngel leapins antelope or q thoughtful figure. The use Of mat erials and colors that make the picture stamps them as mod crn. Iany Russian cards are in cluded among these modern things the skyline of the kromlin done In bizarre modern manner. Mus rovite bear, Chauvre Sauris dancer.
 Animals Arc Popular
 The third class this year. in numbers, that is: seems to reflect the popularity for odd animal pets that is current today Animat walk, run, leap. sit and fly all ovei many of the newest cards. Nor just the old-time dogs and cats and reindeer. There are smart giraffes nibbling a somethirs or other off the Christ mas tree. ws47Nng ducks, good | old elephants. fish Of all kinds, rabbits. and so on. Of all dogs, he fashionable Scotty and the graceful Russian wolfhound seem | o lead.
 Fourth come the religious greet ng cards which we have with us always. But this year there is vide variety here. Famous stained | glass windows have been repro luced ib color; etchings and en- cravings of famous cathedrais hat woulu make pretty pictures f framed: hand-iluminated and ,olored reproductions Of some of he Russian ikons famous for CcT- uries All e these carry their own -eligious sentiments to which you merely sign your name.
 Fifth come the flower cards. There are charming Christmas ards this year of baskets and ,oxes Of flowers, nosegays of yes eryear vase arrangements of to- lay. Usually in color, sometimes ,ilhouetted in black and white.
 Then there arc what might be ,alled the tourist Christmas cards These are pictures. postcard size, ,f those places such as the Left Bank" which all travellers cherish,