BRATTLEBORO — When MuseArts web designer Christopher Grotke sat down to draw a Christmas card summing up this less-than-celebratory year, visions of sugar-plums didn’t dance in his head.
Instead, he imagined a child reminding a snowman to mask its carrot nose.
And reciting a wish list 6 feet from Santa.
And seeking reassurance the globetrotting gift giver is an essential worker.
That’s when Grotke — who has posted too many Covid-19 cancellations and municipal Zoom meeting agendas on his hyperlocal website iBrattleboro.com — decided to create a moment of hope.
His new YouTube video, “A Covid Christmas Anti-Viral Holiday Special,” shows this long year could produce a smidgen (specifically, 1 minute and 53 seconds) of humor.
“I’m not liking these new Christmas traditions,” a cartoon child — confused by the muffled crooning of masked carolers — says in front of a fireplace covered by the sign, “Closed, Use Front Porch.”
Grotke animated the video with a plethora of home computer programs, then tapped a cousin’s daughter to record the narration before adding flute and bass punctuation reminiscent of “A Charlie Brown Christmas.”
Grotke has emailed a link to Gov. Phil Scott’s office and the state Department of Health, which so far have favored more grimacing PowerPoint charts.
The video’s credits thank the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for “health guidance” before closing with the copyright sign “©what year is it?”
“I hope people will laugh and think, ‘We can get through this,’” Grotke says of the finished product. “I can’t assemble a bunch of lights, but I can light up screens and people.”
