When I mentioned the Forest Christmas card a couple of weeks ago I could almost hear the snorts of derision.
Typical Forest, one anonymous critic seemed to be saying. You should be on the streets, leading the revolution, not pussy-footing around with seasonal greetings. Call yourselves activists!
Truth is, our job is to use every avenue of communication with politicians, broadcasters, journalists and potential supporters.
Believe me, I don't enjoy signing 600 cards (a bottle of Rioja and a plate of mince pies helps) but a well-designed card can be a valuable PR tool, especially if it features a message relevant to the campaign.
Take, for example, the image above. It was designed for Forest by Dan Donovan for illustrative purposes only, but if anyone would like to use it I'm sure we could come to some arrangement ...
Below: the official 2011 Forest Christmas card, also by Dan Donovan. It features contact details for both Forest and the Save Our Pubs & Clubs campaign plus the following message: 'On behalf of Britain's 12 million adult smokers we wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Please support our campaign for a more liberal, tolerant and courteous society that puts education ahead of legislation and defends those who choose to consume a legal product'.
