I love the Christmas season for many reasons, but one of the parts I look forward to the most each year is sending and receiving Christmas cards. It's the one part of my life that I refuse to digitize and with as giddy as I get when we receive some in the mail, I get almost as excited about sending them. I view the time I put into creating and sending them as a labor of love and although they're expensive and time-consuming at a time of year when time and money are at a premium, I would never even dream of skipping them each year.
I know that many people (like my sister) do not feel the same way as me about them, so in an effort to articulate to my sister why it is that I feel so passionately about them, I've decided to create this top-ten list of why I love Christmas cards so much! Read all the way to the end to answer my Christmas card poll.
10. I love getting something besides bills in the mail!
9. I love the good excuse I have to actually try and be IN a few pictures, instead of always being behind the camera.
8. I love reflecting back at the usually somewhat boring events of the past year and trying to encapsulate it into an interesting glimpse of our lives for everyone else.
7. Being a bit of a photography geek, I love checking out the lighting/posing/composition of each photo!
6. I love the flood of happy memories I get every time I open another card.
5. I love writing at least a sentence or two of personal greetings in each card.
4. I love keeping up at least a yearly connection with friends.
3. Amidst all the other craziness of the holiday season, knowing that we might get some cards in the mail that day gives me something to look forward to all day long!
2. I love seeing how everyone else is aging right along with us.
1. They make me smile!
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FYI I make it a point not to publish our Christmas card or letter on the blog until I think everyone has already received theirs in the mail. This year we have lost our address book and are probably still a few weeks away from getting them all out. I am bummed that we lost such a treasure of information right before Christmas, but I'm trying to view it as an opportunistic time to revamp and digitize the list! If you would like to be added to our list, please email me at goolds@verizon.net.
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CHRISTMAS CARD POLL:
(feel free to comment anonymously {as long as you're nice})
1. Do you send Christmas cards each year? If not, why?
2. About how many cards do you send?
3. Do you enjoy the process of sending cards?
4. How do you feel about sending/receiving cards from local friends?
5. Do you ever remove people from your list? Why?
I know that many people (like my sister) do not feel the same way as me about them, so in an effort to articulate to my sister why it is that I feel so passionately about them, I've decided to create this top-ten list of why I love Christmas cards so much! Read all the way to the end to answer my Christmas card poll.
10. I love getting something besides bills in the mail!
9. I love the good excuse I have to actually try and be IN a few pictures, instead of always being behind the camera.
8. I love reflecting back at the usually somewhat boring events of the past year and trying to encapsulate it into an interesting glimpse of our lives for everyone else.
7. Being a bit of a photography geek, I love checking out the lighting/posing/composition of each photo!
6. I love the flood of happy memories I get every time I open another card.
5. I love writing at least a sentence or two of personal greetings in each card.
4. I love keeping up at least a yearly connection with friends.
3. Amidst all the other craziness of the holiday season, knowing that we might get some cards in the mail that day gives me something to look forward to all day long!
2. I love seeing how everyone else is aging right along with us.
1. They make me smile!
FYI I make it a point not to publish our Christmas card or letter on the blog until I think everyone has already received theirs in the mail. This year we have lost our address book and are probably still a few weeks away from getting them all out. I am bummed that we lost such a treasure of information right before Christmas, but I'm trying to view it as an opportunistic time to revamp and digitize the list! If you would like to be added to our list, please email me at goolds@verizon.net.
*****************************
CHRISTMAS CARD POLL:
(feel free to comment anonymously {as long as you're nice})
1. Do you send Christmas cards each year? If not, why?
2. About how many cards do you send?
3. Do you enjoy the process of sending cards?
4. How do you feel about sending/receiving cards from local friends?
5. Do you ever remove people from your list? Why?
i love love love christmas cards. both send and receiving.
ReplyDelete1. Do you send Christmas cards each year? If not, why?
We send a card every year.
2. About how many cards do you send?
We currently send about 175 cards each year. This list grows as those we love move away.
3. Do you enjoy the process of sending cards?
Yes. I like addressing the cards by hand, writing a personal greeting, and even writing my letter.
4. How do you feel about sending/receiving cards from local friends?
I send to local friends as well as those far away. I love getting the photos in the cards and save them and to display all year. I like having the locals in that photo collage.
5. Do you ever remove people from your list? Why?
Yes. If we haven't heard from someone in a long time (many years) and are no longer close to them then I will remove them from our list.
1. Do you send Christmas cards each year? If not, why? Yes
ReplyDelete2. About how many cards do you send? I usually send about 70
3. Do you enjoy the process of sending cards? Yes!
4. How do you feel about sending/receiving cards from local friends? I love getting cards from friends and family near and far. Same with sending.
5. Do you ever remove people from your list? Why? People that have passed away are usually the only ones that get removed. And a few people that just aren't a part of my life in any way, but that is rare.
We send them. I've been on the fence for years about not doing it anymore (mostly because it's one more thing to spend money on at a time when there are a lot of things to spend money on), but I can't make myself give it up. Too sentimental.
ReplyDeleteI send around 50.
I usually don't send them to local friends via US Mail, but will deliver a few personally: people I visit teach, kids' teachers, neighbors, etc.
Yes, I do remove people from my list. It probably sounds really cruel, but if those on our list don't reciprocate after a few years, we stop sending. Probably really grinchy, I know... But I will say that there a few really special old friends that stay on the list even if we don't hear from them.
Got your card today. Loved it!! :)
There's our card! Fun to see it hanging with your collection (and I like the clothespin card display idea :) I love cards too, and very nearly didn't do them this year (for the first time ever), but at the last minute threw a self-portrait together and did it, and so glad I did.
ReplyDelete1. Obviously, yes ;)
2. About 400, but I cut around 50 this year (sorry people, it's getting too much!)
3. Once the photo part is over, I enjoy putting the card together, but I find all the address upkeep to be a lot of work!
4. I value sending and receiving cards from local friends as much as those that are far away.
5. Ha! Yes, this year removed about 50 (and it felt good, sorry, that's bad I know). Mostly if we haven't heard from people in a long time (years) without good reason (I know several who can't/don't do cards, but will always get one from us). And less often if there just doesn't seem to be any connection/relevance to our lives now after many years, then I might stop sending one.
We don't send one every year. We have done it a few times. It's not something my family did growing up. This year, a fee family members will be getting handmade ones.
ReplyDeleteWhen I send them, it's about 20.
When I do send them, I do enjoy the process.
I love to receive the cards local or otherwise. I send to local friends but not just to people I know in passing.
Since I don't have an official, every year process, people may be forgotten but not really removed, but I'm not opposed to it.