Christmas isn't Christmas without..... cards
It is still beautiful that at this time of the year snail mail runs amok and delivers little envelopes full of sweet wishes. And I have such a load of conflicting feelings about them; they cost a lot of money and are only sent out of obligation (perhaps) but then again they are a valuable link with relatives and friends far away, and add to the feel of the house.
I hate tacky cards. I don't do anything rude, nor comedy cartoonish. I dislike the cheap and nasty slightly heavier than paper photo cards that were so common when I was a teenager, and I don't like ostentatious cards that are designed to scream out about the worth of the sender (and I mean monetary worth, not self-value) and most of all I hate cards that are ready printed and sometimes never even get a name signed.
If I'm sending a card, I will send a good one. I've cut back a lot on obligation cards; you know, things like the second cousin seven times removed whom you never see from one year to the next despite sharing a home town, or the group cards to every member of a society simply because we are in the same society. I keep my cards for my family whom I cannot see, my family who I love to see often, my friends and the people with whom I would play even if we weren't at work/WI/church together. I make sure my old aunty gets a card (or two; she LOVES Christmas!) and try to match style to person. And I will send the vicar a non-religious card. Always. They are human, and they don't always need a house full of nativity scenes.
As for how to write my cards, I pick a quiet evening, light all my candles, put on a happy Christmas movie and make a decent pot of chai or mulled wine instant tea, and settle down to a few hours at a time adding a personal comment (usually 'and a Happy 2016!') and signing the whole family names.
#christmasisntchristmaswithout
I hate tacky cards. I don't do anything rude, nor comedy cartoonish. I dislike the cheap and nasty slightly heavier than paper photo cards that were so common when I was a teenager, and I don't like ostentatious cards that are designed to scream out about the worth of the sender (and I mean monetary worth, not self-value) and most of all I hate cards that are ready printed and sometimes never even get a name signed.
If I'm sending a card, I will send a good one. I've cut back a lot on obligation cards; you know, things like the second cousin seven times removed whom you never see from one year to the next despite sharing a home town, or the group cards to every member of a society simply because we are in the same society. I keep my cards for my family whom I cannot see, my family who I love to see often, my friends and the people with whom I would play even if we weren't at work/WI/church together. I make sure my old aunty gets a card (or two; she LOVES Christmas!) and try to match style to person. And I will send the vicar a non-religious card. Always. They are human, and they don't always need a house full of nativity scenes.
As for how to write my cards, I pick a quiet evening, light all my candles, put on a happy Christmas movie and make a decent pot of chai or mulled wine instant tea, and settle down to a few hours at a time adding a personal comment (usually 'and a Happy 2016!') and signing the whole family names.
#christmasisntchristmaswithout
I've yet to write my cards. I don't like those tiny ones which are hardly big enough to fit a stamp on the envelope.
ReplyDeleteI have cut back on cards for the second cousins fifty times removed type people, but I always send them to precious people! Enjoy sending yours! xx
ReplyDeleteThey take so long to write out you need to cut back somewhere. We made a collective decision in work not to send cards to each other as we see each other nearly every day. It's always a thrill when one pops through the letterbox though x
ReplyDeleteI like to spread it over a couple of evenings, with nibbles and something nice to drink and Christmas music playing.
ReplyDeleteMust do mine this weekend.
Lisa x