<p>It's the time of year when tens of thousands of holiday cards get sent from MPP offices to constituents, donors, supporters and even journalists.</p>
<p>There are themes to these cards. They are mostly family affairs, and pets are highly encouraged. Season's greetings are mostly inclusive and written in multiple languages.</p>
<p>But while we here at <em>QP Briefing</em> appreciate receiving cards from everyone (thanks!), some are more equal than others. That is, some just capture the knack of what makes a good holiday card, and pander to our favourite sensibilities (animals really help). Creativity is encouraged, too.</p>
<p>Without further ado, we reviewed more than a dozen 2017 holiday cards to give a selection of what came through our office and which we liked best.</p>
<div aria-hidden="true">
<div id="attachment_335351" style="width: 854px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-335351" class="size-large wp-image-335351" src="http://www.qpbriefing.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/DSC_0120-844x476.jpg" alt="" width="844" height="476" /><p id="caption-attachment-335351" class="wp-caption-text">Kathleen Wynne and family pose for their 2017 holiday card.</p></div>
</div>
<h3><a id=":88b" class="aQy aZr e aZI" tabindex="0" role="link" href="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&amp;ik=5e9c77132f&amp;view=att&amp;th=1606b31d36c352f0&amp;attid=0.1&amp;disp=safe&amp;realattid=1587152786710069248-local0&amp;zw" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-tooltip-align="t,c" data-tooltip-class="a1V"></a>Kathleen Wynne</h3>
<p>The premier is in her element surrounded by <strong>Jane Rounthwaite</strong> and three grandchildren. As <strong>Robert Benzie</strong> <a href="https://www.thestar.com/news/queenspark/2017/12/17/christmas-at-queens-park-is-in-the-cards.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">noted in the <em>Toronto Star</em></a>, Wynne isn't wearing her trademark glasses, making this year's card a despectacled spectacle for her.</p>
<p>But the focus on that distracts from the real winner of the card, which is obviously the stellar matching shirts worn by the two granddaughters. Grandkids are always adorable when wearing matching outfits.</p>
<p><strong>Grade: B</strong></p>
<div id="attachment_335361" style="width: 854px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-335361" class="size-large wp-image-335361" src="http://www.qpbriefing.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/DSC_0121-844x476.jpg" alt="" width="844" height="476" /><p id="caption-attachment-335361" class="wp-caption-text">Patrick Brown poses with his extended family in his 2017 holiday card.</p></div>
<h3>Patrick Brown</h3>
<p>Matching outfits become less adorable when adults wear them, as they can (and should) choose their own clothes. So it's with disappointment that we note there's a light blue theme throughout Brown's holiday card, except for his 103-year-old grandmother Teresa, because when you reach that age, no one can tell you what to do.</p>
<p>As Brown is a bachelor, he's surrounded by extended family, including his parents, sister, brother-in-law and nephews. The surrounding wreath graphic is a nice seasonal touch.</p>
<p><strong>Grade: B+</strong></p>
<div id="attachment_335362" style="width: 854px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-335362" class="size-large wp-image-335362" src="http://www.qpbriefing.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/DSC_0134-844x476.jpg" alt="" width="844" height="476" /><p id="caption-attachment-335362" class="wp-caption-text">Andrea Horwath plays Christmas peek-a-book in her 2017 holiday card.</p></div>
<h3>Andrea Horwath</h3>
<p>The leader of the third party is always eager to stand out, both to gain coverage that can sometimes be difficult to get for the NDP and to distinguish the party from the Liberals and the PCs.</p>
<p>It is unfortunate that she effectively plays a game of Christmas tree peek-a-boo in this photo, and doubly so, given that her green sweater blends in with the tree. One imagines the party wanted a seasonal colour – good instincts! – and didn't want to go with red, because that's branded by some other party. The blending has the effect of <a href="https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/arresteddevelopment/images/2/27/1x11_Public_Relations_%2827%29.png/revision/latest?cb=20120408205114" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Buster Bluth hiding in <em>Arrested Development</em></a>, which isn't ideal.</p>
<p>While Horwath has an engaged demeanour in a scene fitting with the holiday season, points are deducted for what looks like an artificial tree.</p>
<p><strong>Grade: B-</strong></p>
<div id="attachment_335356" style="width: 854px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-335356" class="size-large wp-image-335356" src="http://www.qpbriefing.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/DSC_0126-e1513628041163-844x1497.jpg" alt="" width="844" height="1497" /><p id="caption-attachment-335356" class="wp-caption-text">Charles Sousa's holiday card shows his family on a trip to Portugal.</p></div>
<h3>Charles Sousa</h3>
<p>Finance Minister Sousa may not be willing to sign Brown's People's Guarantee, the PC platform announced last month, but he is willing to pose in his family holiday card in co-ordinated light blue.</p>
<p>The pose takes place in the Mosteiro de Santa Maria d'Alcobaca in Portugal, a UNESCO World Heritage Site founded in the 12th century.</p>
<p>There's also a little picture of the family dog Terra on the inside of the card. Nothing too unusual or creative here, but it gets the job done.</p>
<p><strong>Grade: B</strong></p>
<div id="attachment_335357" style="width: 854px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-335357" class="size-large wp-image-335357" src="http://www.qpbriefing.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/DSC_0125-e1513628016222-844x1497.jpg" alt="" width="844" height="1497" /><p id="caption-attachment-335357" class="wp-caption-text">Steven Del Duca's family shows their support for local reptile education in their 2017 holiday card.</p></div>
<h3>Steven Del Duca</h3>
<p>Scan this card from top to bottom and it's quite a journey. Up top, it's pretty traditional – there's a Christmas tree, and in <strong>Steven Del Duca</strong>'s sweater and the font in the top right, the card is bringing back the aesthetic of 1997, and there's nothing wrong with that.</p>
<p>But wait, what's this? There are ... reptiles in this card? Why yes, there are. There's a turtle and some kind of alligator or crocodile with a red ribbon around its neck. Apparently, they are posing at Reptilia in Vaughan, Canada's "largest reptile zoo and education centre," according to the card.</p>
<p>It would be easy to write some snarky jokes about politicians and reptiles, but that wouldn't be fair to the difficulty of the job, or the fun the Del Duca family is having with this card. More reptiles, please.</p>
<p><strong>Grade: A-</strong></p>
<div id="attachment_335358" style="width: 854px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-335358" class="size-large wp-image-335358" src="http://www.qpbriefing.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/DSC_0127-844x476.jpg" alt="" width="844" height="476" /><p id="caption-attachment-335358" class="wp-caption-text">Glenn Thibeault loves his bike.</p></div>
<h3>Glenn Thibeault</h3>
<p>Sure, some politicians pose with pets or other animals in their holiday cards, but the energy minister goes for motorcycles instead. Visually speaking, the bike gets equal billing with the rest of the family, and why not.</p>
<p>The kids for the MPP from Sudbury, where 27 per cent of the greater city speaks French, hold a sign saying, "Merry Christmas Joyeux Noël." Thibeault's French is a bit uneven, but at least the sign is a sure thing.</p>
<p><strong>Grade: B</strong></p>
<div id="attachment_335349" style="width: 854px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-335349" class="size-large wp-image-335349" src="http://www.qpbriefing.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/DSC_0119-844x476.jpg" alt="" width="844" height="476" /><p id="caption-attachment-335349" class="wp-caption-text">Education Minister Mitzie Hunter's 2017 holiday card.</p></div>
<h3>Mitzie Hunter</h3>
<p>The education minister hand-delivered her Christmas cards to the <em>QP Briefing </em>team while we were having our annual press gallery photo taken, so extra points for efficiency and adding the personal touch.</p>
<p>Hunter poses with a broad smile against a verdant backdrop, which seems a bit incongruous with the season. But if studying <em>Richard II</em> in high school taught us anything – and that's debatable – it's that gardens are used as a metaphor for the state of political and institutional vitality. Even granting this leap of logic, the official <em>QP Briefing </em>holiday card grader prefers something in keeping with the time of year, especially when the caption says "Season's Greetings."</p>
<p><strong>Grade: C+ </strong></p>
<div id="attachment_335347" style="width: 854px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-335347" class="size-large wp-image-335347" src="http://www.qpbriefing.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/DSC_0122-844x476.jpg" alt="" width="844" height="476" /><p id="caption-attachment-335347" class="wp-caption-text">Lisa MacLeod poses in front of the OTTAWA sign in her 2017 holiday card.</p></div>
<h3>Lisa MacLeod</h3>
<p>The outspoken PC MPP has a lot going on in her holiday card photo. There's the Instagram-friendly OTTAWA sign in the background, there's the Ottawa Red Blacks gear worn to support the 2016 Grey Cup-winning home team, and their daughter impressively does the splits.</p>
<p>That checks off a lot of boxes to appeal to a variety of constituents, which is key for any successful holiday card.</p>
<p>But wait, what's this? For all these nice touches, the card was addressed to former <em>QP Briefing</em> journalist <strong>Geoff Zochodne</strong>, and not to this writer. This is a very serious breach of holiday card protocol. Presumably this is due to a mailing list that needs some updating, but in the meantime, the MPP for Nepean—Carleton gets a lump of coal.</p>
<p><strong>Grade: D+</strong></p>
<div id="attachment_335346" style="width: 854px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-335346" class="size-large wp-image-335346" src="http://www.qpbriefing.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/DSC_0123-844x476.jpg" alt="" width="844" height="476" /><p id="caption-attachment-335346" class="wp-caption-text">Gila Martow and family embrace the snow in their 2017 holiday card.</p></div>
<h3>Gila Martow</h3>
<p>Part of the journalist job in 2017 is to know what people like to look at on the internet, and so we can say with some authority that dogs are a good addition to any piece of content.</p>
<p>Thornhill MPP Martow goes that route with a family photo that features their dog, who also wears mittens and some kind of floral hat. Topping it all off are some very fluffy snow additions, as though the Martow family lives in some kind of snow globe.</p>
<p>This is not a criticism – snow globes are great.</p>
<p><strong>Grade: A-</strong></p>
<div id="attachment_335348" style="width: 854px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-335348" class="size-large wp-image-335348" src="http://www.qpbriefing.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/DSC_0124-844x476.jpg" alt="" width="844" height="476" /><p id="caption-attachment-335348" class="wp-caption-text">Liberal MPP Han Dong's 2017 holiday card.</p></div>
<h3>Han Dong</h3>
<p>This is a really sweet photo. It's in-focus, seasonal colours are worn, and surprisingly for a family photo shoot, it looks like everyone is having a good time.</p>
<p>An additional nice touch is that the kids signed the card on the inside, and at <em>QP Briefing,</em> we appreciate their hand cramp-inducing hard work.</p>
<p>We were prepared to give this card top grades until we noticed that it appears the photo was taken in Toronto's Distillery District, which is outside of Dong's Trinity—Spadina riding.</p>
<p><strong>Grade: B+</strong></p>
<p><img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-335353" src="http://www.qpbriefing.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/DSC_0128-844x476.jpg" alt="" width="844" height="476" /></p>
<h3>Michael Harris</h3>
<p>The MPP for Kitchener—Conestoga takes us to <a href="http://www.wilmot.ca/en/Castle-Kilbride-Museum.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Castle Kilbride</a> in Baden, Ont., where his family poses in front of the 1877 heritage home of <strong>James Livingston</strong>, Canada's "Flax Mill King."</p>
<p>It's not just the steps that are colourful, as Harris is wearing socks that fit right in, and look like the kind you order from those sock-a-month delivery companies that advertise on Facebook.</p>
<p>Moving on to the pet, Eliot appears with the family, and he looks like a very good boy, albeit one who might need a haircut.</p>
<p><strong>Grade: B+</strong></p>
<div id="attachment_335350" style="width: 854px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-335350" class="size-large wp-image-335350" src="http://www.qpbriefing.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/DSC_0131-844x476.jpg" alt="" width="844" height="476" /><p id="caption-attachment-335350" class="wp-caption-text">Laurie Scott goes all-Canadian in her 2017 holiday card.</p></div>
<h3>Laurie Scott</h3>
<p>In the year of Canada 150, it is difficult to top a cow with a Canadian flag design on its flank, who is nuzzling with a hockey player.</p>
<p>Sadly, there is no giant rubber duck in this card, but you can't have it all.</p>
<p><strong>Grade: A</strong></p>
<div id="attachment_335364" style="width: 854px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-335364" class="size-large wp-image-335364" src="http://www.qpbriefing.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/DSC_0135-844x476.jpg" alt="" width="844" height="476" /><p id="caption-attachment-335364" class="wp-caption-text">Daiene Vernile promotes a local infrastructure project in her 2017 holiday card.</p></div>
<h3>Daiene Vernile</h3>
<p>Vernile pulls off a neat trick in her holiday card, which pulls double duty as a seasonal greeting and promoting the local infrastructure project at King and Victoria Sts. in Kitchener Centre.</p>
<p>We're not sure how seasonal a provincially funded transit hub is (maybe it brings people together?), but at least Vernile is wearing a Santa hat and seasonal garb.</p>
<p><strong>Grade: B-</strong></p>
<div id="attachment_335354" style="width: 854px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-335354" class="size-large wp-image-335354" src="http://www.qpbriefing.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/DSC_0133-844x476.jpg" alt="" width="844" height="476" /><p id="caption-attachment-335354" class="wp-caption-text">Sam Oosterhoff sits at the piano in his 2017 holiday card image.</p></div>
<h3>Sam Oosterhoff</h3>
<p>Holiday cards are also supposed to capture the essence of the sender, and in this way, Niagara West—Glanbrook MPP Oosterhoff does not disappoint.</p>
<p>The youngest MPP in Ontario's history appears to be performing for residents at a senior citizen's home, and at <em>QP Briefing, </em>we know he's <a href="https://soundcloud.com/qpbriefing/season-2-episode-7-teaser-sam-oosterhoff-sings" target="_blank" rel="noopener">musically inclined</a>.</p>
<p>Inside the card, he shares a variation of <em>Gloria in Excelsis Deo</em> (Luke 2:14, in case you're wondering). It's a reference to the annunciation to the shepherds that Jesus had been born.</p>
<p><strong>Grade: A</strong></p>
<h3>Bob Delaney</h3>
<div id="attachment_335371" style="width: 854px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-335371" class="size-large wp-image-335371" src="http://www.qpbriefing.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/DSC_0137-844x476.jpg" alt="" width="844" height="476" /><p id="caption-attachment-335371" class="wp-caption-text">MPP Bob Delaney's holiday card also featured his two cats, Bebe (left) and Merlin (right).</p></div>
<p>It is a fact, universally agreed, that Bob Delaney <a href="http://www.qpbriefing.com/2017/12/04/merlin-cat-takes-mpp-walk-santa-claus-purrade/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">loves cats</a>. He also seems to love Christmas, according to his 2017 card. There's a somewhat creepy Santa at the far left, and a poinsettia, and Photoshopped snowflakes sprinkle the design.</p>
<p>But the real stars of the show are Merlin and Bebe, the MPP's two feline friends. If these two mousers fail to fill you with holiday cheer, then nothing will.</p>
<p><strong>Grade: A+</strong></p>


We graded the holiday cards of Queen’s Park

Read this for free.