2016
CLOWNS
This card got almost as many comments and laughs as the “Don We Now Our Gay Apparel” card. As we allow our mind to be unbounded by cultural conventions in the brainstorming phase, we came up with the idea to have a sign that said “O Little Clown of Bethlehem.” Baby Jesus would be in a manger in a clown suit and Keith and I, also in clown garb, would be beside Him as the Mary and Joseph figures.
And then we say what we always say after every card brainstorming session, “There’s no way we can send THAT!” And we start pulling it back to that proverbial line we realize we passed long ago. Then we took the baby out of the scene and made us into two Magi’s bearing a clown suit gift. But the gag wasn’t clear.
This is not an unusual predicament. There are endless snags in the process, but we know what to do — we ask our daughters Maggie and Mollie for their take. Maggie saved the day on this one. She suggested using the sign to set up the joke better which we gratefully think saved the whole undertaking from lameness. At last, the card was ready for the printer!
