Merry Excessive Christmas...with a big old dash of brilliant.

It started in Law school... there it was in my (and every other law student's) box. "Wow," I thought, "dude has some money and wants us to know his name....Why has he put these in everyone's boxes?"

Back in Law School it was the man, his daughters, his dog, his cars and his home... a montage of what he had accomplished. It was what we could accomplish, too, if we worked hard and got lucky.

Later it was just the man and his dog...and his amazing home... and the cars. We knew it was what would happen to us if we worked too hard and got too lucky.

I heard that the Wife was once pictured.... MadDog says he has gotten a card for so many years he can't remember not getting one- but then again he also remembers The Party with Bo Diddly. Can't write those off anymore, so I never got to go to one.

Alabama lawyers know its Christmas when they get it. In fact, one year I didn't receive one and actually wondered what happened. Christmas seemed empty and blank.

I love the excess. The exuberance. Who the heck else in Alabama sends every attorney in the state a Christmas card? No one!

What is it you ask?

Its Lanny Vines's Christmas Card! (Attached are the 2004 and 2005 versions...) Sorry, my scanner is for work so the images didn't come out so well.... but you can get the point.