Laura Henderson's Christmas card photo shoot required
professionallighting, multiple poses on the living-room couch and a pile of dehydrated chicken-strip treats.
萝拉·亨德森(Laura Henderson)在为圣诞卡片拍摄照片时,需要专业灯光配合、模特在客厅沙发上摆出多种姿势,以及一大堆脱水鸡肉条零食。
A close-up headshot of Fozzy, Ms. Henderson's flat-coat retriever and border-collie mix, is featured on the 100 cards she sent to friends and relatives this month.
萝拉是在为自己的宠物狗拍摄特写照片,它的名字叫"弗西"(Fozzy),是平毛寻回犬和边境牧羊犬的混血品种。这个月,它将成为萝拉寄给亲朋好友的100张圣诞卡上的主角。
'People who know us know how central Fozzy is in our lives,' says Ms. Henderson, a 39-year-old fund-raiser for nonprofit organizations in San Jose, Calif. Fozzy included her own greetings to recipients' pets, even cats, Ms. Henderson says. 'I use my left hand so it looks like she did it,' she says.
39岁的萝拉负责为加州圣何塞市(San Jose)的一些非盈利组织募集资金,她说,了解我们的人都知道,弗西在我们生活中有多么重要。在照片中,弗西摆出姿势向贺卡接收方的宠物问好,包括猫咪在内。萝拉说,我用左手把它的前爪举起来,看起来就像是它自己在跟你打招呼一样。
Dogs and cats are joining in the
annualritual of sending season's greetings. Card makers are rolling out designs that
enable people to send cards from their pets to
commemorate nearly every occasion that humans do.
猫和狗都加入了节日互表问候的行列。贺卡生产商正推出各种各样的设计,让人们能帮宠物在每个人类的节日送出祝福的卡片。
'Pets have become important spokespeople for us within our families,' says Rochelle Lulow,
creativedirector of
editorial at American Greetings Corp. 'They get to see and hear what
everyone is doing and have their own thoughts as well, we'd like to think -- that's what these cards express.'
美国问候公司(American Greetings Corp.)的创意总监罗切尔·卢罗(Rochelle Lulow)说,宠物已经成为家庭中的一个重要发言人。它们能看到和听到人们在干什么,并拥有自己的思想,至少我们希望如此,而这些贺卡就能表达出它们的想法。
A new American Greetings card this year reads 'Meowy Christmas -- It only takes a moment to meow, 'I love you,' but I'll take nine lives to show you how much!' Another reads, 'You're the one who fills my empty bowl, who always has time to throw my ball and who scratches behind my ears,' illustrated with a picture of a ribbon-tied bone.
今年,美国问候公司推出的一款新贺卡上写着:"圣诞喵呜(Meowy Christmas)──喵呜一声'我爱你'不需要花多长时间,但我要用九条生命来证明我有多爱你!"另一款贺卡这样写道:"是你为我碗里装满食物,是你为我抛出手中的球,是你常常抚摸我的耳朵。"卡片上还配有一张打着蝴蝶结的骨头的照片。
'They are
saying what we want to hear,' says Ms. Lulow. 'We like to think that's what they're thinking and what they'd like to tell us.'
卢罗说,它们说的正是人们想听的,我们希望贺卡上的话语就是宠物的心声,是它们想对我们说的话。
There are also cards to send to pets, such as the one from Hallmark Cards Inc. that says, 'For a great cat.' Inside is the
sentiment: 'This Christmas, hope all your favorite dreams come true!'
此外,也有宠物寄给宠物的贺卡,比如贺曼卡片公司(Hallmark Cards Inc.)推出的一张卡片封面上写道"给一只伟大的猫",里面是一句祝福:"这个耶诞节,愿你所有的美梦成真。"
Get-well cards for dogs to send to one another are big sellers at Godfrey's-Welcome to Dogdom boutique in Mohnton, Pa. 'We have a play park here so dogs really get to know other dogs,' says store owner Barb Emmett. 'If a dog is injured or sick they like to send cards to each other.'
狗狗之间的健康慰问卡片是宾夕法尼亚州莫汉顿市(Mohnton)一家名为Godfrey's-Welcome to Dogdom的贺卡店的热销产品。店主芭伯·艾美特(Barb Emmett)说,我们这里有个公园,所以狗狗们彼此都很熟悉。它们受伤或生病的时候,喜欢互送卡片表示慰问。
Thank you cards are also popular. 'The dogs send them to their groomer,
trainer, veterinarian and sitter, especially during the
holidays,' says Ms. Emmett. 'I have a
selection of Mother's Day and Father's Day cards from the dog, but I want it to be bigger next year.'
感谢卡也很流行。艾美特说,狗狗会给美容师、训练师、宠物医生和照看者寄感谢卡,尤其是在过节的时候。我这里有一整套为狗狗准备的
母亲节和父亲节贺卡,而且明年还要扩大规模。
The
etiquette specialists at online stationer Tiny Prints usually handle calls about how to
properly address
wedding invitations. But
lately, the company is fielding calls from pet owners seeking advice on
appropriate ways to include animals in their
holiday cards.
网上文具店Tiny Prints的礼仪专家们接到的电话通常都是询问婚礼请柬如何准确措辞,但最近,公司接到不少宠物主人打来的电话,咨询在贺卡中把宠物纳入进来的正确方法。
'We
recommend putting the dog or cat name in parentheses to be playful,' says Anna Fieler, Tiny Prints' vice president of marketing. But if the pet 'has been a member of the family for a long time, many people don't feel the need to qualify it and just list the pet's name.'
Tiny Prints的行销副总裁安娜·费勒(Anna Fieler)说,我们建议把狗狗和猫猫的名字用圆括号括起来,这样很好玩。不过,如果宠物是家庭的长期成员,很多人就认为没必要用括弧,直接写名字就可以了。
Addressing cards to a recipient's pet can ease the
potential minefield of mixed families with multiple surnames, Ms. Fieler says one
customerrecommended. 'Pets don't have last names, so it can
divert any tension.'
在贺卡上写宠物的名字有助于避开一些潜在的雷区,因为有些家庭是重新组合起来的,因为姓氏并不相同。费勒说,有个顾客曾建议说:"宠物只有名字,而没有姓氏,因此可以规避一些不方便的称呼。"
Tiny Prints started carrying pet-specific greetings after noticing
customers adapting human cards for their dogs and cats. Now, the Sunnyvale, Calif.-based company sells pet birth announcements and party invitations. Valentine's Day cards from pets are in the works for next year.
Tiny Prints注意到有些顾客把普通贺卡改成写给宠物的卡片,因此开始推出宠物专用贺卡。现在,这家加州森尼韦尔市(Sunnyvale)的公司还销售宠物生日海报和聚会请柬,并正准备在明年推出宠物专用的
情人节卡片。
Dog Speak Cards, based in Wilmington, N.C., sold out its
holiday cards in November, says Connie Hillmann, owner and
assistant to the CEO, which is her dog, Kirby. The 'Holiday Tips from the Dog' card includes advice like 'act like you enjoy kissing the relatives' and 'avoid drooling during Christmas dinner.'
北卡罗莱纳州威尔明顿市(Wilmington)狗狗说话贺卡公司(Dog Speak Cards)的老板康妮·希尔曼(Connie Hillmann)说,公司11月份就卖光了所有的圣诞贺卡。她还兼任公司首席执行长的助理,而首席执行长就是她的宠物狗。公司推出的"狗狗耶诞节小贴士"(Holiday Tips from the Dog)系列贺卡上,写着"吻亲戚的时候要假装喜欢"和"圣诞晚餐上别胡说八道"这样的话。
Some 50% of Dog Speak's cards are written in the voice of a dog, including misspellings like 'happee birfdaaa.' Ms. Hillmann says the company's sales have doubled in each of the five years she has been in business.
狗狗说话贺卡约有50%是以狗的口吻写的,甚至包括狗狗可能会犯的拼写错误,比如"happee birfdaaa"。希尔曼说,公司开业五年以来,每年的销售额都能翻番。
Creating personal pet cards often includes
ambitious costuming. Sandy Groth of Dorchester, Wis., spent three weeks
sewing elf and Santa garb for her three cats, but they refused to wear the suits with attached booties. Now, with Christmas fast approaching, 55-year-old Ms. Groth is paring down to elf and Santa hats instead. 'I'm at my wits end,' she says.
创作个性化的宠物贺卡往往需要开动脑筋配以各种服饰。威斯康辛州多塞特市(Dorchester)的桑迪·格罗斯(Sandy Groth)花三个星期为她的三只猫缝制精灵和圣诞老人道具服,但三只猫都拒绝穿上这些挂着礼物袜的衣服。现在,耶诞节一天天临近,55岁的格罗斯只能退而求其次,尝试给它们戴上精灵和圣诞老人的帽子。她说,我已经无计可施了。
Ms. Groth's horse will wear the same
costume as last year. 'He doesn't mind
reindeer antlers,' she says.
格罗斯养的马还会穿上跟去年一样的道具服。格罗斯说,它不介意戴上驯鹿角的帽子。
Bark Pet Photography in Los Angeles tries to give dogs a minimal look during its 'Howliday' photo sessions. 'We avoid the dog in a basket with elf ears on,' says co-owner and photographer Kim Rodgers. 'We prefer to focus on the
personality instead.'
洛杉矶的汪汪宠物摄影工作室(Bark Pet Photography)试图在耶诞节拍摄旺季中让狗狗的形像看起来更简约一些。老板之一兼摄影师金姆·罗杰斯(Kim Rodgers)说,我们不想拍狗戴着精灵耳朵坐在篮子里的照片,我们更喜欢拍出狗狗的独有个性。
Hallmark also encourages pet
costumes by including photos of them in the
sample designs on its website, where consumers create their own cards. Dressing up pets sometimes brings advantages beyond humor. 'Pet
costumes can help
incorporate interfaith families -- maybe a dog or cat has a menorah on its head,' says Olivia Cytrynowicz,
editorialdirector of Hallmark's personalized greetings.
贺曼卡片公司也鼓励宠物打扮起来,在网站的设计范例中发布了一些道具服装的照片,便于顾客在该网站上自己设计贺卡。贺曼公司个性化贺卡的策划主管奥利维亚·塞奇诺维兹(Olivia Cytrynowicz)说,宠物服饰有助于让不同信仰的家庭走得更近,比如说让狗或猫的头上顶着一个犹太教的大烛台。
Hallmark's pet cards, which include greetings like 'Happy Mew Year,' and 'Merry Yips-mas,' try to avoid overly serious or
sentimental messages, she says. Still, the company sells one signed 'Love,' followed by a cat paw print.
贺曼公司的宠物贺卡尽量避免祝福的话语过于严肃,会写上"喵年开心"(Happy Mew Year)和"汪诞快乐"(Merry Yips-mas)这样的话。不过,公司也有一款端庄简约的贺卡,上面就写了一个"爱"字,签名是一个猫爪印。
Some can't
resist bragging just a bit in a Christmas letter. Bean, the 15-month-old golden retriever of Jim and Michelle Drager, who own a strategic-planning firm in Morgantown, Pa., sent his own Christmas letter to the other seven members of his
litter who now live with their
respective owners.
吉姆·德拉格(Jim Drager)和蜜雪儿·德拉格(Michelle Drager)夫妇在宾西法尼亚州的摩根镇(Morgantown)经营一家战略规划公司,养了一只15个月大的金毛寻回犬"豆豆"(Bean)。豆豆给它这一窝分散到不同人家的七位兄弟姐妹写了一封圣诞信,信中忍不住小小吹嘘了一把自己的幸福生活。
Highlights of Bean's year: jumping in the snow,
learning to swim and
hunting for pheasants. 'I still have a rug fetish and I chew every corner,' Bean confessed. 'It keeps the humans from buying a new one.'
豆豆的年度总结:在雪地里跳来跳去,学会游泳,和主人一起去猎野鸡。豆豆在信中承认道,我还是喜欢咬地毯,把每个角轮流咬遍。这样人类就用不着去买一块新地毯了。
The letter includes an update on family. 'Michael and Megan (my human siblings) are doing great!' Bean added to his canine clan that he hopes 'Santa Paws brings you all that you wish for this year.' He also asked them to keep in touch.
这封信还提及了主人一家的情况:蜜雪儿和她孩子梅根(我的人类姐姐)都很好!豆豆祝福它的兄弟姐妹"愿圣诞狗狗(Santa Paws)让你们心想事成",并约好彼此要经常保持联系。