I will admit that while I love the idea of Christmas cards I really fail at sending them. Once in a while, about every five years or so, I will get the time, energy, stamps, cards, addresses and inspiration together long enough to get them out. But usually I just look at the boxes of cards in the store… I used to buy them and then feel badly as I tossed them sadly unset into the recycling in mid- August. The worst year I found about 1/3 of my Christmas cards, stamped and ready to go, under the passenger seat of the mini-van in mid-February. It seemed rather late to send them at that point.
I am in generally a horrible correspondent. I really enjoy writing and I love reading what my friends are doing, but I also suffer from a raging case of procrastination and will sometimes go for months or even years between contact with people I really like. So I love getting the obligatory Christmas letter that seems so often maligned.
I can understand that some people find that letter annoying. You know the one. It comes exactly two weeks before Christmas sporting the family picture with everyone (including the pets) wearing matching sweaters and your old friend from years gone by gushing about their latest wonders and the perfect home/spouse/job/kids and their fantastic accomplishments/vacations/awards. Actually I don’t get that letter. I get the ones from the people I know — sometimes in March. They talk about babies and homeschooling and all those fun things that I love hearing about anyhow. Sometimes they have picture with half the family blinking and the other half with demon eyes and most the time there are little anecdotes that include all the rough spots as well as the good.
I would love to send letters and cards. Just to let those people I know and love see how big my babies are and how we have all managed to make it through another crazy year. Maybe I will get around to sending Ordinary cards when we go back to Ordinary time. Just don’t expect them to hit your mailbox before Christmas.
Christmas Alliance posting alive and well.
Simply Catholic 