I've always been a slacker when it comes to sending out Christmas cards. It's not that I don't remember, just that I never have the time to come up with something creative, and if I'm going to mess with it I want to send out something personalized rather than just another prepackaged bit of Hallmark well-wishery. Plus, one of my best friends in the world, who happens to be a photographer with a knack for graphic design, often sends out cards that would trump my meager efforts in the first place. So just imagine how frustrating it would be to be friends with Lucasfilm.

See, aside from being one of the best-known and most influential film production companies on the planet, Lucasfilm also puts together a mean holiday card. They've been sending them out since 1977, the year the original Star Wars came out, and they're continuing the tradition to this day. Thankfully, for those of us not on the mailing list, StarWars.com has collected all the cards in one convenient gallery. Unsurprisingly, Star Wars has been featured prominently over the years. The header image of Darth Vader wishing for peace on Earth is from 2010, whereas a certain infamous Hutt was the star this year. Here's the 2011 card, as well as ILM Art Department designer Devon Cutler's description.

For this year's holiday card, we depicted Jabba the Hutt as a snowman who melts away from Lucasfilm's warm wishes. This lighthearted and whimsical approach to Jabba was a fresh take on a bad guy. We used a white shimmery foil on a thick white paper stock and subtle emboss details on the hat, eyes, mouth and hands to add a bit of sophistication.

You can click the above link to check out the full gallery, but we'll share a few of our favorites here. For instance, in 1995 Peter Chan & Daniel Colon Jr. proved that that's no ornament...it's a space station.



Way back in 1983, legendary Star Wars artist Ralph McQuarrie showed the world how they celebrate the holidays on Endor.



My personal favorite is this riff on Edward Hopper's famous painting, "Nighthawks." This version was created by Episode III concept designers Erik Tiemins and Ryan Church in 2005.



Finally, when all else fails, you can't go wrong with a chorus of pop-up Stormtroopers (created in 2007 by ILM's Lorraine LeBer).