Topps is famous for releasing special themed baseball card sets each holiday season, and their 2022 Christmas cards certainly did not disappoint fans. The 80-card base set featured original artwork designs evoking the Christmas theme on each player card. In addition, Topps inserted several short print and autographed parallel cards to make the set more chase-worthy for collectors.
Some of the most notable aspects of the design included snowflakes, Christmas trees, holiday colors of red and green, winter scenes in the background, and players posed holding presents or decorations. Topps’ artists did a fantastic job capturing the spirit of the season through their creative card designs. For example, superstar Shohei Ohtani’s card showed him carefully placing an angel on top of a Christmas tree. Star rookie Julio Rodriguez was depicted stringing lights around his home.
Parallels and insert cards in the set included Gold /50, Silver /25, Rainbow Foil /10, Clear /5, and 1/1 Red Crack Ice autos. The short prints such as Green Snowflakes /99 and Orange Ornaments /75 introduced more scarcity. Topps also packed spectacular 1/1 Printing Plates and Memorabilia Cards featuring pieces of a player’s jersey. Without a doubt, these highly limited parallel versions added immense excitement for collectors chasing hits.
Two of the most coveted cards in the set had to be the autographs of superstars Mike Trout and Albert Pujols. Trout’s autograph clearly remains the crown jewel for any Angles PC, while Pujols’ proximity to retirement made his Christmas auto that much more desirable. Both cards instantly became valuable gems for any collector’s collection upon release.
From a character design perspective, many praised Topps’ artists for integrating each player’s personality into their cards. For example, Fan Favorite Anthony Rizzo was depicted cheerfully chomping on a candy cane. The Bash Brothers Luke Voit and Giancarlo Stanton posed playfully smashing gingerbread men with their bats. Rising star Ronald Acuña Jr. had a joyous, smiley vibe fitting his charismatic style of play.
Another unique insert set was the 12 Days of Baseball Christmas, featuring a puzzle piece image across multiple cards that came together to form a festive winter baseball scene when collected in order. This creative set-within-a-set gave collectors an advent calendar-like experience. The puzzle aspect was a welcomed change of pace compared to most cookie-cutter inserts.
In terms of demographics, the 2022 Christmas release seemed aimed squarely at adult collectors rather than kids. Though certainly not depicting overly mature content, the set’s shorter print runs, serial-numbered parallels, and autograph checklist pointed to an audience interested in chasing scarcity rather than just enjoying artwork. This was a logical targeting choice by Topps, as their core collector base has aged along with the hobby itself in recent decades.
Reviews of the 2022 Topps Christmas baseball cards were tremendously positive on social media. While expensive to complete for most, collectors appreciated Topps’ commitment to capturing the holiday spirit through creative designs and appealing parallel products. There was also nostalgia in the set’s limited release echoing classic 1950s & 60s Kraft Foods and Bazooka bubble gum sets of Christmas past. Though secondary market prices cooled as the calendar flipped to 2023, the vivid seasonal designs have undoubtedly sparked new traditions and memories for years to come. Looking ahead, anticipation is high for what Topps may have in store to spread Christmas cheer among baseball card collectors again this upcoming holiday season.
