Introducing John Coulter, Your Holiday Finalist

Meet our finalist of the day!  Read on to learn a bit about him and his entry.

If you like what you see, comment right here--everybody likes props on their hard work!  And check back weekdays through October 3 to meet the rest of the finalists.

Tell us one of your best (or most entertaining) holiday memories.

When I was a kid, my mom was notorious for not quite getting the gift I'd asked for.  One year I asked for a weightlifting set.  Christmas Day, I opened a present, and it was a curling bar.  Which was perfect.  I figured the weights were too heavy to wrap, and asked my mom, "Where did you put the weights?" To which she replied, "What?!  They aren't in the box?" And I said, "Mom, you could lift the box, right?" So I had to go buy my own weights later.

I got in the holiday mood for this contest by . . .

Looking at various vintage greeting cards gathered from the internet.  And listening to Ultra-Lounge: Christmas Cocktails: http://www.amazon.com/Ultra-Lounge-Christmas-Cocktails-Part-One/dp/B000002UFL.

Why is your card the perfect choice for anyone sending holiday cards this season?

I think "Joy to the World" is a great message that crosses all cultures and is not overtly religious.

Tell us (and the world) a little bit about yourself.

I grew up on a farm in western Illinois.  We had lots of pigs.  I went to college at Truman State University in Kirksville, MO, majoring in Visual Communications.  After college, I worked for 2.5 years as an agricultural extensionist in the Peace Corps in the Dominican Republic.  I met my wife, Anne, there too.  We married in 1997.  We have a daughter, Ava, that loves to sing and draw.  I've been working in freelance illustration since 1998.  I am represented by Lilla Rogers Studio.