Are you about to go through the pile of christmas cards in your lounge room/office - pulling them down off the mantlepeice or off the ventian blinds?

Do you have any that are so cool you just want to keep them?

Why would you keep them? because they are creative? memorable? different?

Now think "how can I apply this concept to next year's card, birthday cards, my resume, marketing proposal?"

Here is a christmas card I will keep because of it's creativity and memorability.

Creative - because to draw the Mind Map you have to think laterally about the words and music to turn it into images and basic ordering ideas

Memorable - the images will help you remember the song.

The Card is by Phil Chambers and it is a Mind Map of the words to the song ‘Merry Christmas Everybody’ by the British glam-rock band Slade. It was number one in the UK charts in 1983 and remains a classic Christmas song.

You can hear the song by clicking here as you sing along reading the Mind Map.

"Merry Christmas Everybody" by Slade

Are you hanging up a stocking
on your wall?
It’s the time that every Santa has a ball
Does he ride a red nosed reindeer?
Does he turn up on his sleigh?
Do the fairies keep him sober for a day?

So here it is,
Merry Christmas,
Everybody’s having fun,
Look to the future now
It’s only just begun.

Are you waiting for the family to arrive?
Are you sure you’ve got the room to spare inside?
Does your Granny always tell you
That the old songs are the best,
Then she’s up and rock ‘n’ rollin’ with the rest...

So here it is,
Merry Christmas,
Everybody’s having fun,
Look to the future now
It’s only just begun.

Are you hanging up a stocking on your wall?
Are you hoping that the snow will to start to fall?
Do you ride on down the hillside
In a bobby you have made?
When you land upon your head then you’ve been Slade.

So here it is,
Merry Christmas,
Everybody’s having fun,
Look to the future now
It’s only just begun. (x 4)

Email Phil for more details phil@learning-tech.co.uk