Christmas tattoo: How far is too far when expressing your love for Xmas?

By Rayssa Almeida, RNZ

Is there anything more meaningful than expressing your love for Christmas?

There were stories of people setting up Christmas decorations as early as October. They would take several days off work to do so, and then spend hundreds of thousands on Santas. Jessica Moore, a caterer believes that Christmas is a matter for life purpose.

The 35-year old spent thousands of dollars in August on a full-back tattoo featuring all that the North Pole had to offer. It was a celebration of the joyous season.

She is a big Christmas fan and said that the idea was born without any thought.

“In 2011 I saved this tattoo picture on my phone, two pin-up girls, and for years and years I wanted this tattoo on my back.

“Last year I moved to Ashburton, in the South Island, and I met my artist for a consultation,” Moore said.

Ebony Mellowship from Christchurch was the tattoo artist.

Moore said when she presented her original idea, the feedback wasn’t exactly what she expected.

“Ebony was like ‘Jess, this tattoo is really old, it’s not going to look good’.”

Moore stated that the conversation turned into a Christmas topic and that the decision was made.

“I don’t really remember how we eventually got talking about Christmas, but Ebony told me she was a fan and we just vibed, because we both loved Christmas.

“So, she asked if I ever thought about a Christmas tattoo and I was like, ‘Oh my Gosh, yes, please!’ ”

Moore said the decision of going ahead with her gigantic Christmas tattoo didn’t take much convincing.

“I went away, and I looked online, and I could not find any design, so I thought – do I really want this?

“In the end, I came back and said: ‘Go ahead, create something Christmassy’,” Moore remembered.

After some research and pondering, she decided to trust her artist’s creativity.

“I gave Ebony a list of things I wanted. My favorite movie is Polar ExpressThe bell rings for the reindeer. Polar Express It is. There are also cookies, because I make Christmas cookies at work and so on.”

‘Four sessions, 28 hours of pain and a lot of money’

Moore completed the tattoo in August. This was before the start of the jolly season.

“I had no idea what the design was going to look like, so I showed up on my first day and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is more than I ever imagined’.”

The tattoo was full of Christmas details and memories. It took more than 28 hours to complete.

“I had a session every three weeks, because I was so impatient,” Moore said.

“First session we did the outline, that was seven hours. The second session consisted of half the edge, and the third. [session] We did the second half.

“In the last session, we just did Father Christmas, because we knew Santa would make the whole thing come together.”

Moore, who is proud to have nine tattoos total, said that she was not discouraged by the pain.

“The first line-work did not hurt at all; I was so exhausted from my work that I fell asleep.

“When she started doing the colouring and going down my spine it definitely hurt,” she said.

Too much?

Ebony Mellowship shared her happiness with the results and feedback via social media.

“I’m super proud of this one and it just makes me so damn happy to look at. Jess cried when I showed her the photo at the end, we knew Santa was just gonna bring the whole thing together so finishing with him just made it super special,” Mellowship posted.

But what were people’s thoughts?

Moore claims she has received nothing but compliments.

“Ninety-nine per cent of people were just like, ‘this is stunning’. I shared my picture online and got over seven-and-a half thousand hits.

“When people dislike it, they normally just say ‘I don’t like tattoos, but I can appreciate the work’,” she said.

“To be able to do the colours and the detail and create that – it’s a piece of art and that’s what people need to appreciate.”

Moore admitted that she regrets the permanent tattoo and said she would never forget it.

She said that everything happens for a reason and would never regret it.

“You are put on this Earth for a purpose. Some people desire to be mechanics, while others want to become doctors.

“I think my purpose it’s to do something with Christmas whether that is bringing joy to people or through experiences and memories.

“I am obsessed with it,” Moore said.