These alternative Christmas cards will stop you in your tracks
LONDON -- As Christmas draws nearer, Christmas cards are beginning to land on doormats up and down the country.
One charity has created a series of alternative Christmas cards to remind people of the 2016 events that forced millions of people from their homes.
International humanitarian medical charity Doctors of the World launched its arresting collection of Christmas cards, which paint a more sombre picture than the usual nativity and festive scenes emblazoned on our cards.
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The card designs feature vintage biblical nativity scenes mixed with modern-day photos of conflict zones in the Middle East.
The cards have been named after familiar carols with a slight twist, including: ‘Not So Silent Night’ and ‘The Star of Bedlam’.
Images of destroyed homes, hospitals and human suffering in the Middle East are familiar to us. But, pairing those scenes with traditional Christmas imagery makes for a striking and thought-provoking juxtaposition.
In 2016, the UN identified 13.5 million Syrians in need of humanitarian assistance, of which 4.8 million are refugees outside of Syria and over 6 million are internally displaced within the country.
The cards -- which feature photos feature taken by the Press Association over the past year -- were designed by McCann London for Doctors of the World, a charity that sends doctors to trouble spots around the world
"We want to provoke a broad public debate about the effect of the conflict on ordinary people at the time of year when many of us are thinking of loved ones, peace and goodwill," Leigh Daynes, Executive Director of Doctors of the World, told Mashable.
"McCann London’s juxtaposition of romanticised paintings of the past with contemporary reportage on these unique Christmas cards encourages the viewer to think beyond their own personal circumstances as they celebrate with their families this festive season," Daynes continued.
A pack of four limited edition cards are available for purchase from the Doctors of the World website for £10 ($12.50).
Topics Social Good
Rachel Thompson is the Features Editor at Mashable. Rachel's second non-fiction book The Love Fix: Reclaiming Intimacy in a Disconnected World is out now, published by Penguin Random House in Jan. 2025. The Love Fix explores why dating feels so hard right now, why we experience difficult emotions in the realm of love, and how we can change our dating culture for the better.
A leading sex and dating writer in the UK, Rachel has written for GQ, The Guardian, The Sunday Times Style, The Telegraph, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Stylist, ELLE, The i Paper, Refinery29, and many more.
Rachel's first book Rough: How Violence Has Found Its Way Into the Bedroom And What We Can Do About It, a non-fiction investigation into sexual violence was published by Penguin Random House in 2021.
