The only thing better than getting Christmas cards in the mail is getting them from cartoonists! Sadly, in our age of e-cards, rising postage costs and Facebook, the art of the Christmas card is going the way of the crow-quill pen. It used to be customary for cartoonists to craft a card, but apart from a few undaunted and treasured throwbacks (like Roy Doty), that practice is largely lost to a generational shift.

Speaking of Roy Doty, Hogan’s Alley has a huge archive of his cards, which range from amazing to mind-boggling. Here’s one example, from 1987:

But there’s lots more holiday fun to see. Consider these gems from “Little Orphan Annie” creator Harold Gray:

You can see a smorgasbord of Gray’s Christmas cards here.

And in 2009, we looked at the decades of Christmas cards created by one of the most inventive cartoonists working, Arnold Roth. Here’s one example:

But you can see a lot more of his mini-masterpieces here.

This year, we took a look at more than four decades of Christmas cards by “Hagar the Horrible” creator Dik Browne. More than just cards, they really chronicle the story of his adult life, from newly married to grandfather. One example:

You can see the rest of the cards here. And at the bottom of that page, you’ll see links to many past Christmas-themed goodies, courtesy of your pals at Hogan’s Alley.

All the best to you in 2011, and one of my New Year’s resolutions is to be a more diligent SuperITCH blogger!