It’s that time of year again when the Christmas decorations come out, All I Want for Christmas starts playing on repeat, and shopping commences in earnest so everyone has what the want come Christmas (or come Thanksgiving, since we do presents with the in-laws in November). And every year ’round this time, we start receiving holiday cards. And I order our own Christmas cards. Because I do like getting Christmas cards, and I…do…like…sending…Christmas cards. Really, I do. I like designing/selecting them, looking through all the glossy and embossed designs. It’s nice to stay in touch with people you might not otherwise hear from.
But what do you say on a Christmas card? Always the bane of my existence.
‘Twas the week after Thanksgiving and the condo is a mess
We are trying and failing to combat holiday stress
One chore after the next and next
But there is one that leaves me the most perplexed
The Christmas card it is aptly named
Or perhaps holiday or seasonal card depending on who you blame
It’s not choosing the photo that’s so terribly hard
It’s carefully deciding what to write on the damn card
You don’t want to gloat about all the vacations you had (though I think we do…)
Or discuss whether the people at work (sometimes) drive you mad
But you also can’t talk about those ongoing family crises
And definitely, this year, don’t mention anything about election biases
Someone died this year or your child flunked out of school?
Well that’s super awkward for a Christmas card, not cool to include…
Ok, I’m out of rhymes but my point stands. Writing Christmas cards is not my favorite thing to do. We used to get a super simple picture card, but have been opting for postcards more recently because envelopes use more paper/postage and just go in the trash anyway. Plus, honestly, see above. You can only write so much on a postcard. That to me is a huge upside. Not sure we’ll ever go back to letters or actual cards.
I know there are a ton of options out there, but I’ve been hooked on Pear Tree Greetings for our cards in recent years. Not an ad, or sponsored, I just like Pear Tree. The cards arrive quickly, always look as promised, and I always seem to have a fantastic 40% off coupon. Because, Christmas cards are expensive. Here’s this year’s card, featuring a picture of the Galapagos which is still pretty much one of the coolest places we’ve ever been. I would’ve put just a picture of a blue-footed boobie, but, well, I figured most people wouldn’t understand our obsession with those. Plus, it really needs to come with cool sounds for the full effect.
Oh, and these metallic sharpies are the bomb. I totally didn’t consider writing on glossy postcards with gel pens (fail, epic fail), but these are the best.
Do you send Christmas cards? Enjoy writing them?
Happy Holidays!
Heather, Toasty, and Jeff (aka DH)
