Our Hubert & Pooty Holiday Cards

For over thirty years John has been illustrating and sending out a Holiday card featuring Hubert the Christmas Dragon. What started with 10 cards has grown to over 500 cards mailed each Christmas. Many expect them. Some even collect them. But guaranteed if they mail late, we get phone calls and emails inquiring "where's the card?"
  • 1979

    1979

    The very first Hubert card. Hand drawn and hand colored. It was a limited run of about ten. It never occurred to John that a fan base would come to expect a new card every year.

  • 1980

    1980

    During the second year, the card was hand drawn, but a printer friend volunteered to print it. The color had rubylith cut for each, and a mechanical was sent to the printer.

  • 1981

    1981

    By the third Hubert the Christmas Dragon card, John's fate had been sealed. People now eagerly anticipated its arrival.

  • 1982

    1982

    Four years down... and the ideas still came easily, the hard part was deciding which scenario to illustrate with Hubert.

  • 1983

    1983

    Hubert continued to gain a larger fan-base. And it spread to John's family as Hubert did double duty as the family card now too.

  • 1984

    1984

    Still hand-drawn, "photo-stat'd", and finalized via a mechanical. The card took a few days to a week or more from concept to completion.

  • 1985

    1985

    Seven years down...and while the ideas still came easily, John started to receive suggestions for Hubert's Christmas cards.

  • 1986

    1986

    Inspired by John's love of painting, Hubert decided to take up the brush and paint a tree.

  • 1987

    1987

    Hubert goes full color. Up until now, Hubert had been two to three colors maximum. But by 1987, four-color printing was possible.

  • 1988

    1988

    The card art was hand-drawn still, but after a recent Mac Plus purchase, the type used on the card's mechanical was all set using Aldus Pagemaker.

  • 1989

    1989

    Technology marches on, just like Hubert. This year the card was hand-illustrated and felt-tip pens were used to colorize it. And for the first time, the full color drawing was scanned and color separated for printing.

  • 1990

    1990

    The card goes full-on digital. Hubert was still hand-drawn, but once scanned, he was brought into Adobe Illustrator and colorized. The entire card was finalized in Aldus Pagemaker.

  • 1991

    1991

    Hubert goes retro. The card got started a bit late and so in a crunch for time, it was left as two color. And really, with Hubert the red-nosed dragon, two colors worked.

  • 1992

    1992

    Hubert the toy soilder. Again, hand-drawn, scanned, and colorized, the card was full-color again.

  • 1993

    1993

    Admittedly the ideas for Hubert were a bit harder after so many years. And the family was often called into action to offer suggestions.

  • 1994

    1994

    The card goes two color again when a heavy December workload delays the card. But it still mailed in time.

  • 1995

    1995

    John's first granddaugher was born (to his oldest son) and her arrival was immortalized on the Hubert Card.

  • 1996

    1996

    Hubert the Christmas rocking horse....but of course!

  • 1997

    1997

    Hubert the Christmas dragon enjoys a good choo choo train ride, just like everyone.

  • 1998

    1998

    John's second granddaughter was born, and well, the precedent had been set, so she too got her own card.

  • 1999

    1999

    After twenty years, John thought he'd retire Hubert and instead did a retrospective farewell card. The uproar and pleadings quickly changed his mind...and John promised to continue.

  • 2000

    2000

    John's youngest son joined the firm and brought with him a cartoon character he'd drawn during college. So Hubert was joined by Pooty the Platypus elf?

  • 2001

    2001

    Hubert and Pooty enjoyed 2001 and partnered to build a snowman.

  • 2002

    2002

    A friendly snowball fight between Dragon and Platypus.

  • 2003

    2003

    John's eldest son has a third daughter and so she recieves her Hubert card cameo.

  • 2004

    2004

    Hubert and Pooty enjoying the ride together.

  • 2005

    2005

    Hubert and Pooty baking up some tasty gingerbread men.

  • 2006

    2006

    Hubert and Pooty celebrate another terrific year together with some spiked punch. Wassail!

  • 2007

    2007

    Small little packages tied up with string....these are few of Hubert and Pooty's favorite things.

  • 2008

    2008

    Apparently Pooty will never be allowed to drive the sleigh again after this Christmas debacle.

  • 2009

    2009

    Hubert and Pooty decorating a tree for 2009, but hidden within the card a secret message which few noticed.

  • 2010

    2010

    Hubert and Pooty welcome a new granddaughter by John's youngest son - and yes, she got a card too.

  • 2011

    2011

    In July John suffered a mild stroke. Thankfully John's recovery allowed him to draw the latest card....and so Hubert and Pooty live on.