Dec 04 2002
Christmas cards
Be proud of me. Be very, very proud.
I have just written and mailed more than 60 Christmas cards. This staggering total does not include the ones going in packages of presents to be mailed, some of which I still have to wrap and then package up, much as I hate it. You can always tell when I don’t like doing things, because I put them off as much as possible. I am terrible at wrapping gifts and hate doing it. Maybe it’s your basic cause and effect.
Anyway, I feel that Christmas cards should not be pre-printed or include generic newsletters sent to all and sundry. I have the radical opinion that they should be written by hand TO the person in question, and include thoughts, sentiments and/or family news of interest to that particular person. Which makes it a very time consuming process, so I have to do it in batches over several days.
I write so little by hand now (despite the fact that I do not know how to type properly, but only in a style uniquely my own) that my handwriting has degenerated considerably from lack of use. It’s odd enough to begin with, but now it looks like an unravelled thread or the tracks of a mad spider who somehow got her legs dipped in ink. Also I get writer’s cramp almost immediately now, as my atrophied writing muscles join in a concerted complaint on being woken up from their sleep, so that makes the batches smaller, too. It seems positively old fashioned, doesn’t it? But that’s what’s good about it.
4 Responses to “Christmas cards”
My handwriting has degenerated into that of a three year old scrawl.
Fortunately being a yid I avoid the whole Christmas card effort. Which is good cause I am lazy 😉
I agree with you though on the newsletters. Really doesn?t gel for me. But some people like doing them, so I smile and let them give it to me.
I’m with you. When I do Christmas cards (when I’m not broke), I write personal notes in each one. I get annoyed when people just sign their names. At least, write in Happy Holidays or something!!!
And I think I would spend the extra money and restore the clock to its original height.
I used to write all mine by hand too, but like you, writing by hand is almost painful now. And at some point I got exceptionally lazy, I think around university-time. Of course, I’m still selfish and love getting handwritten letters in *my* cards :). Now a certain group gets a generic letter plus a handwritten note in the card (great-Aunties and the like). A certain group gets a handwritten letter only and then there’s a fairly large group that get ‘have a nice holiday’ with no letter at all because I talk to them all the time anyway :).
yeesh. I was so involved in Amber-world there I forgot to say that I am proud of you! And it really does seem more appropriate and old fashioned to write out the cards!