I changed my card up a bit based on some of the advice I had, just want a bit more before I go forward.
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My issue with it is the non-christian greeting of Happy Holidays to keep it free from any sort of religious content and more accessible to people. Then plonk a massive Christmas tree on the cover.
Here are just a few thoughts.
The level of detail is inconsistent. The typeface is very busy, yet the snowflakes and the tree are very simple.
The white outline on the tree jumps out, yet the green outline on the other side is barely visible due to it being so similar to the dark green background.
The snowflakes seem a bit peculiar. They look like helms on an old sailing ship. Probably of lesser importance, they’re all the same design and positioned at the same angle.
Fair point. Mainly this is just a template since I plan to have others that vary things up.
My original comment regarding kernings still holds.
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… except that the decorating of houses with evergreen plants during the solstice (Yule) period was practiced by many cultures far predating Christianity; Celts, Vikings, Romans and even the ancient Egyptians had a form of this tradition.
So, I’d say, of all the Christian, Christmas symbols, the tree is the one you’d most likely get away with in a secular context. Actually, thinking about it, I can’t think of many Christmas traditions that don’t, in some way, have pre-Christian origins – apart from the actual nativity story. Even that can loosely be traced back to the pagan celebration of birth and new life (in its wider sense) around that time of year.
Still - there are a lot of non-religious people who associate the Spruce tree with Christmas and Christianity.
Actually, I know a lot of people here in Ireland no long practice Christianity although brought up and raised as Catholic - who don’t practice, or see the inside of a church - but still put a Christmas tree.
And I often wonder do they actually realise why they do this - and if you asked them to go to a Mass, even on Christmas day - they would emphatically say NO.
Although the intent of the Happy Holiday insinuates a non-religious contention - the visual tree actually makes it a Christmas card.
That’s often why you see on a some Christmas Cards that it’s Happy Xmas - as they are crossing out the Christ portion - and only the -mas is used.
Which is actually incorrect too - as X is the Greek for for Chi - and the Greek word for Christ.
Jesus Christ is written as
☧
X
I just think if you’re going for non-offensive card terminology then stay away from the whole secular meaning altogether - and choose a different image.
Especially if you want the card to be picked up by people of religions.
There would be quite a few themes to choose from:
https://www.google.com/search?q=happy+holidays+images+christmas&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwicnd2fiM7yAhXoGcAKHcMfCKwQ2-cCegQIABAA&oq=happy+holidays+images+christmas&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQAzoFCAAQgAQ6BggAEAgQHlDtcVjkkQFg-JMBaARwAHgAgAFDiAHABZIBAjE0mAEAoAEBqgELZ3dzLXdpei1pbWfAAQE&sclient=img&ei=OjUnYZyYLOizgAbDv6DgCg&bih=618&biw=1350&rlz=1C1CHBF_enIE954IE954