Christmas cards designed by Cindy Crawford for Yahoo! and Old Navy’s Hope for the Holidays event, which raised money for the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation

Although I find that the Cindy Crawford’s Christmas cards design is lacking in portraying the spirit of Christmas, she is doing it as part of a collection of holiday greeting cards that are hand-illustrated and signed by dozens of well-known celebrities. Available as both print and electronic greetings, the cards are part of Hope for the Holidays, created by Yahoo! and Old Navy to raise funds and awareness for the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation.

In the 1980s and 1990s Cindy was frequently featured on the cover of Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, ELLE, Cosmopolitan and Allure, and has worked for Omega, Maybelline, and Clairol. In July 1988, Cindy became the first modern supermodel to pose nude for Playboy magazine. She was ranked number 5 on Playboy’s list of the 100 Sexiest Stars of the 20th Century. A 1997 Shape magazine survey of 4,000 picked her as the second (after Demi Moore) most beautiful woman in the world. In 2002, Crawford was named one of the 50 Most Beautiful People by People magazine. Even in her forties she claimed #26 in the 2006 Hot 100 issue of Maxim.

After modeling she continues to provide celebrity endorsement for a variety of projects. In 2005, Crawford created a line of beauty products with Dr. Jean-Louis Sebagh called Meaningful Beauty for Guthy-Renker. Though the product infomercials credit Dr. Sebagh and his melon extract for the youthful appearance of her skin, Crawford has admitted to regularly receiving certain cosmetic procedures, including Botox, collagen, and vitamin injections. She first saw a plastic surgeon at the age of 29.

Crawford recently launched a new line of furniture under the “Cindy Crawford Home Collection” name, exclusively with Rooms To Go. She assisted in the creation of the line by directing the designers to include certain features, colors, or styles that fit the needs of families or reflected her own taste. It looks like her talents lie in home décor and not in Christmas cards design.

2008 Christmas cards sent by Governor Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver. The design was created by Dennis Francesconi, a member of the Mouth and Foot Painting Artists.

For 2008, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and his wife Maria Shriver kicked off the Christmas season with the theme “WE Celebrate.” This theme celebrates California’s bravest and most inspiring individuals who represent the strength and perseverance of California’s people. With that being said, the Governor and the First Lady spread the Holiday cheer with these Christmas cards designed by a member of Mouth and Foot Painting Artists – Dennis Francesconi. Francesconi’s acrylic painting, entitled “Christmas Night,” depicts an exquisite Christmas tree adorned with ornaments standing majestically in a starry night sky surrounded by brightly colored presents.

Schwarzenegger and Shriver’s personal greeting inside is a wish not only for peace within yourself, but also for peace in our country and throughout the world. These beautiful Christmas cards were sent by the Governor and the First Lady to more than 9,000 people, which included 4,500 members of the California National Guard stationed overseas.

Dennis Francesconi, who is a quadriplegic and is wheelchair-bound, painted this picture with his mouth. Dennis was injured almost 30 years ago at the age of 17 in a water skiing accident. Dennis first learned to write with his mouth and then later on learned to paint with his mouth. He was invited to exhibit some of his work on the website of the world renowned Saatchi Gallery London. This website was formed 20 years ago and is best known for the innovative forum it provides for established and upcoming contemporary artists. He also had several images published in the November issue of Parent Guide Magazine. The magazine also published a very informative article about the Mouth and Foot Painting Artists.

Yankees-inspired 2007 holiday cards sent by George Steinbrenner to his business associates

For 2007, George Steinbrenner sent out tasteful holiday cards to his many business associates. The design was printed on a buff-colored, heavy matte card stock and featured the sentiment “Happy Holidays” printed in dark blue, large letters in a type style known as Lucida Calligraphy. Below this was attached a thin, metallic black-and-gold Christmas ornament featuring a three-inch black ring with a black New York Yankees batting helmet in the center. The words “New York Yankees 2007 Where Players Become Legends” are printed in gold foil, as is the trim on the batting helmet. Mr. Steinbrenner’s signature appears in blue ink at the bottom right-hand corner of the card above the words “New York Yankees” printed in a script font.

George Michael Steinbrenner III was born on July 4, 1930 in Rock River, Ohio. After a stint in the Air Force and as an assistant football coach at Northwestern and Purdue Universities, he became owner and CEO of his father’s multimillion dollar Cleveland-based shipbuilding company. This allowed him to head the investment group which purchased America’s most famous baseball franchise in 1973.

The early years of Steinbrenner’s tenure were filled with both controversy and great achievements. He drew the ire of many in the game by inking superstars Goose Gossage and Reggie Jackson to record free-agent contracts. He was suspended in 1976 for having made illegal campaign contributions to Richard Nixon and returned to see his beloved Yankees capture back-to-back World Series titles in 1977 and 1978.

In the 1970s and 1980s, Steinbrenner became most famous for making 17 managerial changes in his first 17 years with the team, including hiring and firing Billy Martin five times. In 1990, Steinbrenner was again banned by baseball for making an illegal payment to confessed-gambler Howie Spira to dig up damaging information on former star player and nemesis Dave Winfield (talk about the Grinch who stole Christmas). He returned in 1993 in time to see the Yanks become a dynasty, winning the World Series in 1996 and from 1998-2000.

George Steinbrenner remains controversial with a string of high-priced free agent signings which has taken the team payroll over $200 million in recent years – $70 million higher than their nearest competitor and $140 million higher than the average baseball payroll. Some critics have even accused Steinbrenner of trying to buy the championship ring, dubbing the Yankees the “Evil Empire.”

Charity Christmas card designed by Patricia Arquette for the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation

Perhaps she saw it in a dream? Patricia Arquette, now a household name due to her fame on the hit TV show Medium, took some time out from her busy schedule to design this Christmas card that joined a long list of other hand-illustrated celebrity Christmas cards for a special Hope for the Holidays campaign created by Yahoo and Old Navy. This brightly colored Christmas card features a collage of ordinary snowflake cutouts with the greeting Eid Mubarak, which is a Muslim phrase that is used to congratulate one another during their festivals.

Patricia Arquette was born in the Windy City but raised in Virginia and California. Arquette’s mother was Jewish and her father was a convert to Islam. Her entire family is steeped in talent. All of her siblings – David (and sister in-law Courteney Cox), Rosanna, Richmond and Alexis – have pursued acting careers. Patricia got her start in the biz at the age of 18 and has had a long run of steady work including such hit movies as Ed Wood, Stigmata, Flirting with Disaster and Wildflower. She is currently going into her fifth season in her star role as Allison DuBois on Medium for which she won the Emmy Award in 2005 for Outstanding Lead Actress.

Patricia has not been as lucky in love having gone through divorces with both Nicolas Cage and Thomas Jane. She had a daughter with Thomas Jane and also has a son from a previous relationship with musician Paul Rossi.

The Christmas card that Patricia designed helped to raise funds and awareness for the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation. This foundation was born of one of the most powerful forces, a mother’s love. Elizabeth contracted AIDS when receiving a blood transfusion during the birth of her daughter. Both her daughter and her son also contracted the virus through her. The foundation has one mission: to bring hope to children with AIDS.