Salaam

Christmas Card

In many places of the world the standard greeting is simply the word for peace: salaam or shalom. These words also have a deeper meaning than the English word conveys and include wholeness, well-being, and health. These basic human needs are interconnected and also connected to our practical, physical needs.

This design was inspired by a workshop I attended about the square kufic style of the Arabic script. Simplified letters are formed from square ‘tiles’ and can be combined to form decorative patterns. They are used on buildings, monuments, textiles, rugs, and scrolls, and have also inspired a wide variety of calligraphic and digital designs.

Here the word salaam is repeated four times in a rotation, creating a square pattern with interweaving elements. The English text that surrounds the pattern is part of the angels’ praise at the birth of Christ, told in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 2. Together they form our family Christmas card for 2021.

One of the kindest greetings we can give one another at Christmas is a blessing and wish for peace. Near the end of another pandemic year, with another scary virus variant circulating around us, a mind and heart filled with peace may be our greatest need. It is also our deepest wish for all our friends and family this year.