Christmas Cards - Linocut Cards

Children love making sets of personalised cards in different colours. This type will take a bit of extra effort although the results are worth it. Choose some suitable Christmas designs for a start off, you may like to add some other of your favourite designs.

Draw the designs of your choice with a soft pencil onto the smooth top part of a piece of craft lino about 12 by 18cm (5 x 7in). Remember that your prints are a mirror version of the design. Cut around the edges of the design carefully using a craft knife or scalpel, to a depth of about 0.5cm (1/4in). Always direct the cutting tool away from you to avoid accidents.

Put a little water-based acrylic paint on a sheet of glass and roll it with a rubber roller until it makes a 'smacking' noise. Then roll an even layer of ink over the lino surface. Place a piece of paper on top. Rub the back of this with the back of a spoon or another clean roller to make sure the paint is evenly distributed over the surface. Peel off the print and dry before mounting onto the front of your card. Once proficient, you may prefer to print directly onto your card and some great effects can be achieved by overwriting designs...

Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer

The idea that Santa Claus drives a sleigh pulled by flying reindeer is usually credited to Clement C. Moore (1779-1863). In 1822 Moore wrote a poem for children entitled 'A Visit from Saint Nicholas'. The poem was officially published in 1844 and was the main reason for the establishment of Santa Claus in the United States. In the poem Moore refers to Santa's toy filled sleigh being pulled by eight flying reindeer. He named the reindeer Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donder (meaning 'thunder' in Dutch) and Blitzen (meaning 'lightning' in German).

In 1939 Robert L May, a department store worker at Montgomery Ward, wrote a poem entitled 'Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer'. The store printed the poem and distributed it to children as a sales gimmick. In 1949 a friend of May's named Jonny Marks composed a song based on the story told in the poem. The song with the same name as the poem 'Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer' was instantly popular and remains so today. Many recordings of the song have been made. His story has been told in 25 different languages at least and has even been made into a network television special...