Categories: family, life-in-general, whimsical-bits, christmas
Date: 13 December 2008 03:03:32
I have found that this is a real area of ... not contention ... not disagreement ... perhaps ... alternate viewpoints? AT the very least.
Possibly brought more to my notice this year after I heard someone say they're only sending out 3 or 4 because a) they'll email everyone else b) no one sends them cards and c) it's just one more thing to spend money on.
So ... do you send cards or not?
I do. I'm a card sender. I love to send and receive cards, letters, notes, all sorts of that sort of stuff. I especially love the Christmas newsletter (which I think a lot of people secretly do but don't want to admit to 'cause it's slightly daggy - I embrace my inner dag so am happy to admit to it!) Don't get me wrong, I email, I most certainly email! But a card is different.
I will admit that sometimes I don't take time to choose the card ... sometimes the little bits I write are the same as the bits I've written in the 15 cards before ... and sometimes it's a real slog to get through them. But I persevere 'cause it's part of Christmas to me.
Organising the cards. Finding all the addresses (this year, as we changed to a PO BOX, I printed labels for us - 'cause I ALWAYS put a sender address on the back of the envelope, even for bills. I typed all the sendee addresses this year too, onto labels, and life is a lot easier!). Gathering enough stamps - LOVE the sticky stamp, hate the licky stamp. Doing my own newsletter (or, in my case, 8 pics gathered from the thousands I've taken this year plonked on an A4 page with little comments, to which I add handwritten bits). Working out the order in which to write them up (aunts, uncles, great aunts, great uncles, brothers in law, sister in law, and so on).
It's such a wonderful sense of satisfaction when you drop a bundle of stamped and stickered envelopes through the mail.
I love it all really.
I have never even minded the crowded Christmas shopping - as long as I can get a coffee and a doughnut when the blood sugar drops, and if I'm excused the odd rude remark to people who do not watch where they are walking, I really do like it.
I miss the cooking and the carolling. I'm not involved in anything that would require singing at present, so looking forward to a good blast of carolling when we make it up to mum and dad's on the 22nd. I will do a bit of cooking but (and here's a warning to Mr Tasmania for next year, when we're having Christmas down here) nothing on the level of years gone by, when I did the Christmas pud, the mince pies, the stout pudding, the mini puddings, the White Christmas, some shortbread (though not as good as my nan's), and just about anything else I could think of.
I just love it!