Yesterday, I got the questionable joys of Christmas shopping off my chest. Today, there still being objectionable objects on my chest, I continue with my pre-Christmas rant.
This time, it's about Christmas cards.
First of all, you must understand that cards in general are part of a well-constructed scam generated by the stationery industry to make money, since most people don't buy writing paper any more. The scam includes not just Christmas cards, but cards for every conceivable person and occasion. Need a get-well card for the gay black Jewish vegan friend of a friend of a co-worker, or a card for Secretaries' Bosses' Cross-Dressing Third Cousins Day? No problem, your local Hallmark store can help you out.
My Christmas card list is huge, and gets bigger every year. I am the Black Friday of the US Postal Service, which has named it's new local distribution center after me. At Christmas time, our postman drives a semi to make our pickups.
And that doesn't count my annual Christmas letter, which goes out to special friends and family, and is not a one-size-fits-all, mass-produced chronicle of Aunt Matilda's bunions and the vacation to see the monument to the Mythical Ethical Unknown Congressman, but a chatty, personalized summary of the annual adventures I think each person will be interested in. And those take some time to write...
But this year, I'm way behind. As of this moment, I have a mere seven Christmas cards finished, but not yet mailed. Most of the Christmas letters are done in draft, but have yet to be polished, much less mailed. The Postmaster General sent a wreath, assuming I'd passed away, and is preparing his charts showing a drastic drop in December income.
I have received three Christmas cards so far, one of them from Amanda. When a friend who has a hyperactive toddler and is pregnant and has just completed a major move - between countries, no less - and manages to find time to keep blogging, can get her cards done, I ought to hang my head in shame.
So, anyhow...
If you were expecting a Christmas card and/or letter from ol' Bilbo, don't give up just yet. You'll probably still get it, except that you may not get it until Memorial Day.
Sigh.
Perhaps I should subcontract the job to Amanda...
Have a good day. More thoughts tomorrow.
Bilbo
5 comments:
What, you didn't get mine yet? I sent it Wednesday eve. But then, it's much less of a miracle that I managed to get cards out. Amanda's feat is worth mentioning :)
WOW! You got it already! My card was one of those generic cards though. Next year I'll get organised to prepare one of those Christmas cards with the personal updates from our year.
I don't do cards either, although when I was in Florida visiting my parents I put my mom's address book online for her and set up her mailing labels for The Letter which goes withe The Christmas Cards. She does this because, "otherwise people will think that we're dead."
Years ago I ran out of time to get my Christmas cards out and, since I generally use the "peace on earth" types of cards, I started sending them out for New Years. Problem solved; they weren't late after all!
I got Amandas' card last week. And I've already got her under contract.
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