Above: The Cadies Christmas card 2008. Photo by Neil Hodgins.
Although Christmas isn't a particularly spooky festival, it does tend to bring out the rather warped creativity of my ghostly ensemble. Over the years, the Cadies have blighted the letterboxes of a select few (hundred) close chums with some quite out-of-the-ordinary seasonal greetings-cards. Here we present a few of our favourites.
1987: A Successful year?
The Cadies Christmas card 1987 (photo: Paul Macphail)
For their second-ever foray into personalised greetings, founders Colin and Robin wanted to toast a successful year for their three-years-young business.
1991: An E.E.C. Christmas
The Cadies Christmas card 1991 (photo: Paul Macphail)
There's nothing new about Euroscepticism, as 1991's card shows us. The newspapers that year had been awash with scare-stories about insufficiently-bendy bananas and suchlike, and the Cadies responded by sending out their "Christmas" card the following March. The pretext was that the E.E.C. (precursor to the E.U.) had, in its bureaucratic pomp, rescheduled Christmas to March 10. (Robin and Colin both categorically deny the rumours that it had more to do with them forgetting to send a card out in December.)
1997: Off his trolley
The Cadies Christmas card 1997 (photo: Martin Houston)
Ten years trying to come up with witty Christmas card ideas can take its toll, so Robin had a wee rest in December 1997 (and January, February and March 1998).
1998: Not just for Christmas
The Cadies Christmas card 1998 (photo: Martin Houston)
We always source our Mad Monks from the rescue shelter, as tragically many of the poor wee blighters are abandoned on Boxing Day. This photograph was taken at Edinburgh's Gorgie City Farm, where we previously sponsored a goat (but that's a story for another day).
2000: Increase the Peace
The Cadies Christmas card 2000 (photo: Mark Craig)
This sort of thing happens all the time in Edinburgh. This whimsical jab at Glasgow's Old Firm football rivalry was originally shot for our humorous guide-book, What's Under The Kilt? published that year as a cheeky stocking-filler.
2004: Another Turkey from the Cadies
The Cadies Christmas card 2004 (photo: Cameron Pirie)
This is what happens when you just rent a bunch of random costumes and daunder around Edinburgh until an idea presents itself. The photo that was eventually chosen narrowly beat the one with the turkey being pushed around Sainsburys' car park in a shopping trolley by a pink elephant - true story.
There hasn't been an official card for a couple of years, mainly because it gets harder and harder to outdo some of the lunacy we've captured so far. Then again ... maybe next year we should send the boys down to the costume shop again - what do you think, readers?
Have a very Moribund Christmas
And a Hideous New Year
From all at The Cadies & Witchery Tours