Thursday, December 16, 2010

Today I Addressed Christmas Cards.

The practice of sending Christmas cards is dying.  I get less and less every year.  I havent been sending out fewer (maybe I should).  I have to admit, there are many good reasons to let the card mailing slide: 

Time consuming
Stamps are getting stinkin' pricey!!
Cards aren't always cheap either
Facebook has made keeping in touch and staying updated a year long event

But for me Christmas cards are beautiful.  I love every single one of them.  They're all different.  All beautiful.  Some are just photographs, with the greeting printed right on them.  Others include a family newsletter.  Some just have a signature.  The handmade ones are awesome!  I tend to send ones with a short, personal note and a family photo. 


When I was ten, my dad sat me down with a stack of blank Christmas cards, stamps, a pen and his little black address book.  He wrote out what he wanted me to copy into each card and left me to it.  After that, I did the family Christmas cards every year until I moved away from home.  As I got a little older I included a little letter with a blurb about each family member. 

To me, Christmas cards are part of a wonderful part of my childhood.  They mean Christmas.  They get me into the holiday spirit.  I wish I had started earlier this year.  But, its okay.  I decided to trim my list a bit this year (regretfully) for all the reasons I listed above.

I've got a nice, little stack of cards ready to take to the post office tomorrow.  It gives me nice, warm fuzzies.  :)  I made a lot of them with blank cards and bits and pieces of old cards, pictures, and such. 

So, what camp are you in?  Christmas cards?  Or not?

7 comments:

MommyMert said...

I seriously love getting Christmas cards... but I am with you on all the reasons. I had to cut the numbers down. I figure a lot of people see me on my blog or on FB.... Probably will send a couple out each year for the old-timers (aka Grandparents) but I am sad to see this one go. :(

Charmaine Poulin said...

Christmas cards! I make hand made ones for my close friends that I see all the time & send out a photo card to people we don't see very much, or out of towners. I've walked into my husband's aunt's house and seen our Christmas card still on her fridge months after (maybe even the next Christmas). I know that a lot of the people we send to really appreciate it.....so it keeps me going!

Mrs. K said...

Oh that is too sweet--to have personalized cards like those. I love the idea but I guess I'm one of those lazy folks who take a family picture and go to Sam's (or some other place) to create cards. LOL. I'm guilty. I may keep doing the same thing when we have kids but I like your idea of putting a little blurb in there about what each family member is up to. :)

KBoo said...

I think they're awesome, but I'm the Queen of Procrastination, so I don't know if I'll get them done. :(

Elizabeth said...

I bought a huge box of Christmas cards this year with the gung-ho attitude of getting out all of them. Got them home and, lo and behold, they are DARK BROWN inside! They require a special pen to use them!! So, there they sit on my coffee table.

What the heck?!? :)

Amy said...

I haven't done a single Christmas card as long as I've been married because nothing ever changed. Well, we had some MAJOR changes this year, but being enormous with child, a child with owies no less, I just don't have the motiviation.

Maybe next year!

I'm glad it makes you happy to do Christmas cards. That's all that matters. Once it doesn't make you happy anymore, it's not worth it! :)

Anonymous said...

Christmas cards! Except we don't have a "card" I guess - we always get portraits and send picture cards. I love getting the yearly portraits, and it sort of shows everyone the short version of what I want to tell them anyway - that the kids are getting bigger all the time and are cute little smilers. - Erin