Showing posts with label Holidays. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Holidays. Show all posts

Tuesday, December 23, 2025

Top 6 Topps Digital Holiday Cards 2025 (SWCT, Bunt, Marvel Collect)

Topps Digital has always created Holiday season cards much to my pleasure, but this year they seem quite exceptional.  So, a present from me to you to celebrate the Christmas holiday, here are my Top 6 holiday cards.  Like all other digital card top 5 collections, these are cards that I actually own in my digital collection.  This time I am also including the back art.  Let me know if you like seeing the back art too!
Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!

6. Captain America  Holiday Heroes,  Series 1 - Happy Holidays - Blue,  Uncommon Card Count 15,481


Who would like a Holiday Greeting from Captain America?  Definitely me!  This card is as classic as they come, almost Currier and Ives classic.  






















5. Tarik Skubal  Santa Archives,  Series 1 - Holiday Relic - Rare 

This is a fun card, and it doesn't hurt that the subject here is the 2025 AL Cy Young Award winner, Tarik Skubal of the Detroit Tigers.  There is lots to love about this card, but the relic patch of the Santa hat is pretty spot on, well played.  And seeing the fierce pitcher in a Santa hat is rather enjoyable as well.  

























4.  Rogue and Gambit  Holiday Collection '25,  Series 1 - Base - Snow - Uncommon  Card Count 18,958

Adorable isn't usually the word I associate with the X-Men especially when it comes to these two fierce warriors and cursed lovers, but this card is about as cute as can be.  These two making a Wolverine Snowman is pretty funny.  Rogue appears to be having a good time while Gambit (Remy) has an ornery look on his face.  
































3.  Jace Jung  Topps Holiday '25,  Series 1 - Green Signature - Super Rare  

This is a great card build.  I enjoy the holiday boarder with garland on one side and snow flakes on the other.  The team logo on the bottom left, team name in block letters going up the left side of the card along with the baseball diamond with the player's position highlighted.  Then it is a rookie card signature card and from a Detroit Tigers player to boot!  
































2.  Zorii Bliss  Holiday Season 2025,  Season 20 - Characters - Uncommon  

Yep, the last two cards in this Top 6 are Star Wars cards.  Choosing the top 2 cards from Star Wars Card Trader (SWCT) wasn't intentional, it is just the way it worked out, and I believe you will see why. 
This Zorii Bliss card (and all the cards of this set) are stunning to look at.  Not because of bright pictures or action filled images, but the art is unique.  I love the sketch style art with the subtle holiday themed snowflakes in the background of the image.  This may end up on my top insert card list for SWCT.  





























1. Grogu & The Mandalorian  12 Days of Topps - 2025, 12 Days of Topps - Uncommon 

This is about as Christmas and cute as they come.  We have seen images of Mando flying with Grogu in his satchel which is cute in and of iteself as Grogu's ears are flopping in the wind.  The Mandalorian with his Santa hat on while carrying a bag of presents over his shoulder and Grogu in the front just says Star Wars Galaxy holiday season.  This card won't show up on my top inserts list, but it is #1 on my Holiday list.  































Monday, November 4, 2024

A Reflection of the Peanuts Holiday Programs

We have entered the fourth quarter of the year which means the holidays are here!  What that means around our house is the trilogy of Peanuts Holiday DVD's make their appearance.  Perhaps your home has a similar tradition of bringing these programs out on October, November, and December.  

We just finished the first DVD as Halloween has come and gone.  The Great Pumpkin still didn't come
but the nostalgia and smiles did as they do every year.  I think our favorite moment of It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown is when Charlie Brown is just finishing up raking leaves into a pile.  Snoopy encounters a leaf falling to the ground, but keeps it in the air by blowing on it.  He blows that leave over to the pile and Charlie Brown says, "Thanks old pal."  Then Linus with let sucker in hand, runs and jumps into the pile.  Leave go everywhere and Linus is left there with a leaf covered sucker and leaves stuck around his sucker-sticky mouth.  Linus gives the sage advice, "Never jump into a pile of leaves with a wet sucker."  

The Thanksgiving DVD is up next in our house.  There are so many enjoyable moments in the Thanksgiving program.  One of these moments is when Snoopy and Woodstock are tasked with getting the chairs and table set up in the yard.  Snoopy ends up in a scuffle with one the lawn chairs.  This is very relatable if you have ever had to mess around getting the old lawn chairs unfolded, but when the chair takes on human characteristics and boxes with Snoopy, that is when things become quite

humorous.  I think my favorite moment is when Snoopy and Woodstock are dressed in traditional pilgrim outfits and report for cooking duty in the house.  When Charlie Brown opens the door, and Snoopy leads the march into the house, Snoopy is carrying a pop gun rifle as part of his costume.  This pop gun has a cork with string attached to the gun.  Snoopy and Woodstock come to a halt in the kitchen and Snoopy takes the pop gun off his shoulder and places the stock on the ground setting off the pop gun and sending the cork into the air.  The string keeps the cork from getting too far and causing it to bounce about eventually knocking Snoopy silly when it smacks him on top of the head.  Charlie Brown remarks that this is no time to be messing around.  I just find that moment to have lots of character and the slapstick humor just hits home for me.  

When Thanksgiving wraps up, it is time for the final DVD to rise to the top, A Charlie Brown Christmas.  While there are some humorous moments in this program, to me this program is all about the nostalgia

of Christmastime and the message that Linus delivers at the end.  "That is what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown," Linus explains at the end of this speech to the cast of characters.  Charlie Brown is inspired by Linus's speech and takes his weepy little tree home with the thought that no one will ruin the spirit of Christmas for him.  When he decorates his tree with one single ornament, the tree droops over which is the final straw of disappointment for Charlie Brown.  He walks into his house when all of his friends show up to see the droopy tree.  Regardless of all the criticizing the cast has done to Charlie Brown, they build the tree up with decorations.  Charlie Brown comes out and to his astonishment, his little tree is standing proud with Christmas decorations.  Then Charlie Brown and the cast break out into song with Hark the Herald Angels Sing.  It is an amazing display of Christmas and the Christmas Spirit.  While it takes second in my ranking of the shows, A Charlie Brown Christmas definietly does what it sets out to do.  


I know there are many other Peanuts holiday programs, but these original three from the 1960's are by far the best in my mind.  I hope they are a part of your family's tradition, but if they aren't, it is never too late to begin a new tradition.  My kids are both teenagers now, but it is a tradtion still going strong and I have no doubt when they, someday, have families of their own, they will continue the tradition.  I know my wife and I will continue to watch even when my kids are gone from our home.