One Sketch 239) (Monday 19th November) - Old fashioned Victorian Father Christmas

While Rudolph is having a snooze
Pa Christmas will quite often choose
To throw off the shackles
And prepare to tackle
A steaming great bowlful of booze

This is based on another Victorian Christmas engraving, but a very English one, probably from the Illustrated London News or some such. Go back a hundred and fifty years and more, and we Brits didn't really have a concept of Santa Claus. While American cartoonists like the great Thomas Nast were creating what became the classic conception of Santa, his English contemporaries invariably gave us Father Christmas. Not always without the presents for the kiddies but almost always with the steaming wassail bowl full of very alcoholic punch to spread cheer and alcoholism to the adults. You can usually recognise the traditional English Father Christmas through the bowl and also a wreath or crown of holly on the top of his head.

One Sketch 238) Another Thomas Nast based Christmas Card

A letter to Santa

You think he's not real

And yet

You still hope

Sorry - it's another Christmas card. My aim is to finish making all of my Christmas cards by the end of November, and I've still got quite a few to do. This is another based on a Thomas Nast engraving. Thomas Nast often depicted his own children in his Christmas sketches - this is probably one of his daughters, and it may even be his dog as well.

One Sketch 237) Norman Rockwell Christmas Card

It's hard to tell you the truth
When you're getting quite long in the tooth,
You try to be kind
But it's quite hard to find
Just where in the world's the right roof.

Yes, this is Christmas card production season, and this is another based on a Norman Rockwell original. Kitsch? Probably, but then that's the whole point. I don't care, anyway, I love the work of Norman Rockwell.

One Sketch 236) Bob Cratchit Christmas Card

How strange to think
A man who died a century and a half ago
Made Christmas what it is
Today

Well, forgiveable hyperbole. Charles Dickens, who died in 1870, gave us "A Christmas Carol" probably did as much to create the traditional ideal of Christmas as any other person.

One Sketch 235) Baby Pug (Thursday 15th November)

Ladies and gents

I give you

A living oxymoron

- Ugly but cute.

Just a matter of personal opinion, of course. I didn't have a lot of time, and so dashed this off fairly quickly. 

One Sketch 234 (Weds 14th November) Christmas Card

The season just makes us feel young
So songs through the ages have sung
The fat cat has said
He'll pull on the sled
He's probably after a bung.

No idea who sketched this one originally, I just liked it. I made this during Artists' Group on Wednesday evening.

One Sketch 233) (Tuesday 13th November) John Tenniel Christmas Card

Santa s trying to skate
He seems to be tempting his fate
He's dazed and confused
He's been at the booze
He'll end in a hell of a state

Another 2018 Christmas card based on a cartoon by my favourite British Victorian cartoonist, Sir John Tenniel. Tenniel always drew a very English Father Christmas - absolutely not Santa Claus - with holly around his pointy hat, and seemingly a little the worse for strong drink.