For your consideration is an original official Christmas and New Year greeting card issued in December 2009 by Their Majesties King Albert II and Queen Paola of Belgium, conveying their wishes for Christmas 2009 and the New Year 2010. The horizontally folding card measures approximately 8.25 6 inches closed and 16.5 6 inches fully opened. Produced on substantial ivory-colored card stock, it bears the printed date XII 2009 at the lower right of the interior and dates from the latter years of King Albert IIs reign.


The left interior contains an original color photograph of King Albert II and Queen Paola seated together in a garden. The King, dressed in a dark pinstriped suit, rests his arm affectionately around the Queen, who wears a pale ensemble. The relaxed pose and verdant setting lend the portrait a warm, personal character distinct from conventional state photography. The facing page is headed by a finely printed red crowned monogram incorporating the royal couples initials and carries seasonal wishes in French, Dutch, and German, Belgiums three official languages.


Below the printed greeting appears the French manuscript sentiment vous tous, translating as To all of you, followed by the familiar signatures Albert and Paola. From the available photographs, the inscription and signatures have the appearance of black-ink additions; however, conclusive identification as individually handwritten rather than mechanically reproduced requires magnified examination of the writing. Until that examination is completed, the card should not be described unequivocally as hand-signed.


The cover presents a striking modern silhouette of the Nativity against a warm orange ground. The reverse identifies the design as Nativit by Thomas Hohweyer, then a second-year digital-art student at the Acadmie des Beaux-Arts de Tournai, with the attribution repeated in French, Dutch, and German. The card remains in very good overall condition, with light cover rubbing and minor handling consistent with age; the interior photograph, printed greeting, royal insignia, writing, and central fold remain clean and well preserved.