In the Christmas spirit

Christmas greetings, all. I grabbed this card just for you. Pretty early into the Christmas season, I knew this would be a fairly special one.

No, people aren't reading the blogs that much lately, nor commenting on them, who has the time, I guess? But it's obvious they're doing something else: they are sending cards at a terrific rate and they are sending them while at least halfway drunk in the Christmas spirit.

I already dedicated a post to fellow bloggers/readers' Christmas greetings. And since that time all I've been doing is posting more and more cards that people have sent and pulling more and more cards out of the mail, with lots of Christmas wishes attached.

What follows is an incredible selection of items sent my way, all dressed in tinsel and flashing lights. So pour something festive -- no, not that disgusting egg nog -- and enjoy some awfully nice cards from some awfully nice people.

OK, I don't know how nice Will -- excuse me, Santa Clark -- is, but at least The Lost Collector had the good sense to actually defile a Will Clark card instead of doodle on a penny sleeve. Thanks, A.J., I always wondered what Santa would look like all crabby, ornery and orange.

AJ kept this package in his wheelhouse, which, of course, means '90s cards. And '90s cards in Dodger terms means Mike Piazza. And Piazza in '90s cards means holograms and fold-outs and foil out the chimney.

Love this thing. What the hell is that behind Konerko? A heat map? A freakish storm headed toward Baton Rouge? Whatever it is, it can't possibly be related to rookie prospects. Unless it's a close-up look at their capillaries.

This is one-half of a Pinnacle Inside card. The Stand-Up Guys inserts required two cards to make four cards, if that makes any sense. I might actually be able to use this thing, but I'm not going to think about it too hard because '90s cards make my head hurt.

Merry, Merry, AJ.

The Jaybarkerfan has been busy unloading his own sack full of goodies on eager little collectors. He didn't send a Christmas card or anything, but the sentiments were there (and still are), and believe me, his cards speak the Christmas spirit. The man gives.

This envelope contained just a few items, but come on, a Duke oddball?

A 1970s Kellogg's 3-D super star? (Need more of these in 2016!)

A very shiny blue (love shiny blue lights) Donruss Elite numbered item of Campy?

A 1990 Orel Hershiser coin? (Where on earth did this come from?)

And this -- oh, baby -- this?

This Legendary Cuts cut auto is so cool it laughs at what I traditionally think of cut autos. It is so cool that I cannot even bear to take it out of its magnetic case. It's like I'm tampering with it if I remove it -- how's that for a new view on things (I was going to use the word "paradigm" on you and then I thought 'it's Christmas')?

The fact that it's Kirby Higbe, a key figure in the Dodgers' pennant victory in 1941 but otherwise forgotten except for petitioning the Dodgers to trade him after Jackie Robinson arrived on the scene, makes it even cooler.

Well, done, Wes. Merry, Merry to you.

Now, there's a Christmas card. Probably the most humorous one I've received this year.

This comes from a Michiganer (Michigander?) reunited with her home state if I remember her history correctly.

Julie of A Cracked Bat already sent me some cards very close to Christmas time and now she's sending more. Wow and weeeeee!

When I opened the card, these two tiny pieces of cardboard spilled out. Do they look familiar to you?

They do to me! They're both former Nebulous 9 cards!

In fact, the Roberto Clemente card had been on the list the longest of all the recent Nebulous 9s. I was beginning to think I had accidentally stumbled across some stealth short-print. Oh my gosh, all I want is some simple card from the 2001 Upper Deck Decade '70s set -- please, please don't let there be short-prints!

Fortunately, Julie, who shares my love for this set, knew it was just a fantastic card of Roberto that should rightfully be in my collection.

Such a great card. 2016 is the year I finish the Upper Deck '70s set! 2016 is the year I finish All. The. Sets!

Thanks, Julie! Merry, Merry!

Many of you are familiar with who is up next, just based on this homemade card (excuse the blotch, I excitedly got some blue tape on it).

Gavin of Baseball Card Breakdown has shipped out a whole bunch of homemade cards and homemade cards (get it?) to a whole bunch of bloggers. Per usual, I'm one of the last to show what I got. So be prepared to see what you've already seen.

This is an amazing photo that is now a card. When this photo toured the Twitter rounds a couple of months ago, somebody mentioned how it should appear in Stadium Club. I think Gavin might have gotten wind of that and he beat Stadium Club to it (it's not like SC is desperate to put Cey in its set, although I have no earthly idea why).

Cey is gracefully scuffling into third during the 1974 NLCS against the Pirates (that's Richie Hebner fielding the throw). Even better than Cey being safe on a terrific photo (and the Dodgers winning that series) is the back:

I'm on the back of a baseball card! That is some special card. Night Owl's head is getting so big he can't fit in his tree hole anymore.

You might be wondering about the 1/1 if you saw that All Trade Bait All The Time also received this card. Well, mine is a 1/1 with red ink and Oscar's is a 1/1 with blue ink. Apparently, Gavin detailed all this in a post, but, geez, when you're writing about different kinds of 1/1s, my brain blows out and I can't read anymore. I'm just a simple owl.

That Gavin, he really wants to work at Topps!

Here is the other custom card that you've already seen. This is the best-looking custom I've seen all year. It blows away any Vin Scully card I've seen from official card makers.

Continuing the 2015 Topps theme to the back, that is a fantastic summing up of Scully and what he means to Dodger fans. And a great tribute as Scully enters his final season as broadcaster for the team.

I can barely move on to the regular old cards that Gavin sent after reading that. Something in my eye or something ...

But we must press on. It's Christmas!

 

I've seen the Gold Label cards appear in other bloggers' Breakdown packages. Lucky me, I got the Kevin Brown card because he's my favorite Dodger player ever ever ever evah. (ahem).

The fabulous Wilbert Robinson card came my way after I begged shamelessly on Gavin's blog. Well, it seemed shameless to me anyway.

Thanks a whole bunch, Gavin. Merry, merry!

The final package I'm showing on this fine Christmas eve is from Brian at Play At The Plate. This Christmas card was the sixth or seventh card I've received from a blogger this year, which is easily a record. Go blogging! Go Christmas!

Brian's been a little too busy for blogging in the last year, but he's still around, which I like to see. Disappearing people suck, to put it bluntly. Stop by and say, "hi!"

Brian actually sent two items -- a Christmas card with cards and then a PWE with cards. I promptly dropped the PWE in a massive puddle in my driveway. But I didn't realize it until I came back from an errand. As I drove back into the driveway, I saw mail sitting there and thought "What the hell, the mail is with me in the car!" Cue owl stupefied face here. Turns out I dropped some of it and didn't realize it. I didn't drop the Christmas card.

But these all took a bath. You can't see the damage here, but there are dings, backs peeling, and total warpage (in the case of the Gibson Masterpieces). But no harm done, I have these guys already.

These also went into the drink (what a motley crew they are). The bottom two got pretty damaged on the back. Fortunately, Paula was cushioned by Coolio and the Hulk (ahem) and is looking fine. These are part of my dorky quest to finish off the 2015 Panini Americana set. Send some if you got 'em, I might actually put up a want list some day.

  

Now, the cards that were in the Christmas card are perfectly preserved, and that's a good thing because Flair Showcase should look as pristine as possible.

See the blood red Christmasy backs ... wait, that didn't come out right.

This, though, is one of my favorite Christmas presents.

I have been waiting for this card to arrive since June. I've purchased a fair amount of Stadium Club and received a fair amount in packages, but this Kershaw has never been part of any of it. It was getting so frustrating -- such a wonderful card of a wonderful moment for my favorite player.

That made the puddle incident worth it. What good fortune that the Kershaw card was in the other envelope! What a tragedy if it had been in the other!

And so ends the Christmas trading card festivities.

Yeah, that probably means I don't expect to get any cards for Christmas on the actual DAY.

But that's OK, because I got you guys.

Merry Christmas. Hope you get everything you want.

Thanks for enjoying the holiday and the hobby.