Christmas Cards

Come closer, Santa wants to tell you a little secret...
Santa’s not wearing any underwear. Merry Christmas

Countdown to Christmas 8 days

Do you still send Christmas cards? It gets more expensive and more difficult to get these done each year. And let me tell you, I gave up long ago. Lyle does the cards at my house. He's amazing.

I remember as a kid running down to the mailbox after the postman left and pulling out this stack of envelopes. It's probably raining, so you race back the house as fast you can, shielding the mail inside your jacket. Back in the house, you sort through it all, "Bill, bill, card! Card! Card! Catalog, Card! Bill."

Then you go through the cards to see who they are addressed to. Mom & Dad, Mom & Dad, just Mom, "AND FAMILY"! The rule was, if it said your name or "And Family" you were allowed to open it. Then you looked at who the card was from, relative, family friend, someone you've never heard of... Hey, how come this one is just to mom & dad? We know those people, not fair, it should be to "and family," harumph.

My mom had a ledger that kept track of who she sent cards to, who sent cards in, which years they exchanged, which years got missed. I don't know why. She wasn't the score keeping kind. But Christmas cards do make you keep score. Most people I know send out their cards and keep 5 extra on hand in case someone sends them a card they weren't expecting.

Then what do you do with all those cards? Some people place them in a basket, some hang them on a ribbon. I used to have festive clothespins to hang them along on a garland. These days we are able to stand them up along some furniture and view them all season.

Do you include a photo? We stopped doing that. A newsletter? I enjoy those as long as they are not just complete boasting about your children's accomplishments. I write a rhyming poem every year. It gets difficult to rhyme the passing of a grandparent and festive lights. But I preserver.

I used to make greeting cards. I wrote and designed Christmas cards, in July. Tough to get in the spirit then.

If I've already received a card from you, thanks! If you haven't sent me one, don't go to any bother, I only kept 3 cards aside for those unexpected last minute scorekeepers.

These Gingerbread cookies have a special with for you this Holiday season, BITE ME.