I’m all about the holidays. I *love* giving gifts, baking, gathering for parties and dinners, the decorations… I’m all about December and all the celebration and magic it can hold.
I’m embracing it and rolling with it and enjoying all the special moments. I’m not doing my annual big baking, and my cards were about 2 weeks late going out… that’s ok. I’m going to do Valentine’s Day baking and I got my cards out at least so it’s a win. We’re good.
Seinfeld’s “festivus” episode = maybe my all time favorite episode of any show. It’s classic.
In keeping with tradition of festivus, I’m going to list my two issues, as my ‘festivus grievances’:
1. I am fully disappointed in the USPS and it’s lack of timely delivery. I get that holidays = slowed down service… but 3x the normal amount of time is REDICULOUSLY BAD BUSINESS if you asked me. *IF* I get some pkgs tomorrow it’ll be 3x normal speed, that is. Not cool. I’ve never experienced it quite this bad and it disappoints me big time. What’s the point of paying priority?! My own post office tells me that it shouldn’t be taking this long, that they’re “only slight delays”. Ugh. I want my photos and fun stuff!!
2. Holiday Cards. What is up?! If you’re not into it or prefer sending out e-greetings via email I understand… but truly there is something magical about getting a card in the mail. It’s my favorite treat this time of year. It was suggested to me that my lack of cards is because a lot of people only send cards to people who sent them cards first.
Oh please tell me this isn’t true.
PLEASE tell me people aren’t out there counting cards and doling them out only if they got one first. That breaks my heart. That so goes against all Christmas spirit!!! I sent cards out to everyone I could think of that I wanted to send a card to. If I get an unexpected card from someone I didn’t send to already or realize I forgot someone? I’ll send them one out asap. But I’m not holding cards or my happy wishes hostage.
Now that I’ve aired my grievances hopefully I can re-immerse myself into the magic of the season. Actually, I’m not at all worried. I already feel some magical ideas coming to me. Elizabeth is home from school for the next two weeks and they should be memory & good times filled.
Know what? I’m going to combine my current frustrations & turn them into a gift. I’m off to make some homemade cards + gather some little gifts for some of YOU. I’ll be back Monday to share & give you a chance to win…
until then – have a beautiful weekend!!!
confessions of a chocoholic 
I wonder if a lot of folks are late doing cards this year. Or if finances are keeping some folks from sending them (or as many).
We ordered ours from Snapfish last weekend and they should be here today or tomorrow (coming USPS, I think). I should have just gotten them printed at Walgreen’s, but it was $12 cheaper to get them sent. So, I’ll be addressing like a madwoman this weekend. 🙂
Our family vacation happened early December, so I just didn’t worry about cards till I got home. It took me two evenings, but I sat by fire and thought about each person as I wrote. It was a lovely (if “ack! Gotta do this!”) experience. 🙂
Glad to know I wasn’t the only one who thought fewer cards were circulating this year. I don’t think we have gotten any and that makes me sad. Mine should be delivered tomorrow. Wonder if I will get a bunch back in return 🙂
You have a wonderful weekend too. I’ve sent my cards and hope to get some in the mail soon.
Leslee in MT
Hi – I can just imagine how christmasy your home feels. You have so much talent and care so much. I hope you are so busy with your girls this weekend that you don’t feel any of the frustrations that come along this time of year. Enjoy the magic. Can’t wait to see what you have cooked up for next week!
Mary Lou
Maybe cards are not going around as much because of the economy. Or maybe not. Hopefully everyone gets their cards.
~Garret
So love reading your blog as you always remember what is really important in our lives. I have heard the same thing about holiday cards which I’ve decided to ignore. I love making holiday cards as much as I grumble at times and just mail them out to everyone. Always delighted if one comes back and if not that’s fine too. My daughter is flying home today from NY – she will be out of college until mid-January. So that’s my special Christmas gift. Hope your holiday are merry & bright and filled with sparkles & delights.
I love sending out cards and I’ve yet to keep track of who sends me ones and who doesn’t. I love getting them, though! And I’m lucky to have some really nice friends who have beat me to the punch this year (I got so busy making the cards, I’m only getting them out now. Oops!)
Hope the holidays bring you loads of fun. I love this time of year!
I had my cards finished over a week ago, but didn’t have stamp money for them until today :(. Oh well, they’re in the mail and I just wanted you to know that I mail to a set list and then have some stand by supplies in case I get a card from someone unexpected. I/we don’t GET a card from everyone we send to, but we send them anyway.
Happy Christmas May and Flaum Family!
You know what? it’s a mixed bag these days…take the good with the bad, and try to smile your way through it. And….I have to tell you: I was frantically (well…not really, but you know…Costco, stamps, labels….) getting the cards together, and asked my husband about a few I wasn’t really sure about sending. He actually said, “hold off, wait and see….don’t want to add to anybody else’s stress”….and I’m still questioning it. Might just pop them in the mail tomorrow 🙂
I haven’t experienced the shipping issues. I’ve bought alot of gifts from Amazon, and had them shipped by different carriers. Only 1 came later than predicted, and that was by one day. So I’ve been pretty lucky. But then, I tried to get most of my shipped stuff taken care of in the first 2 weeks of December.
I like sending out Christmas cards. I don’t send thank-you notes, or any other sort of card throughout the year. But Christmas cards…hey, I usually search long and hard to find just the right ones to send. I prefer to send ones with cats on them, since I adore cats. This year, since we now have the baby, I cheated and got the preprinted ones with her professionally taken Christmas photo on it. Goes alot faster when I don’t have to sign the cards or write anything special in them.
That all said, I had a small handful of people that I do know, but hadn’t talked to in a LONG time. So I didn’t send cards out to them. One I wasn’t even sure I still had the right address. Low and behold…all 3 sent me cards. So now I have to fill out cards to send them. So I guess that makes my method…send out cards to my standard list, and anyone else who sends me one, then I’ll send one back to them.
Just this week I commented to my husband that I was surprised at how few cards we received. I’ve been sending mine out in batches – I love the giving and receiving of cards and send cards even though I know I not receive in return. So this is not an East coast phenomenom! P.S. I love that episode of Seinfeld!
Getting Christmas cards is one of my favorite parts of the holiday season. I have noticed in the last couple of years fewer cards coming to my mail box and even a few cards as late as the New Year. Getting mail in general makes me happy every house we’ve lived in I learn the sound of our mail person and can hear them coming, my husband thinks it’s crazy and my daughter doesn’t understand why I get upset if she checks the mail before I do, but getting mail is just my “thing”. LOL
I love that you think of each person as you’re writing out their card, this is one of my favorite parts of sending cards, the special wish for each person. Yes I make sure and say something personal for every card I send not just sign it at the bottom. I think that’s what makes Christmas cards so magical, to get a special wish just for you and picture of my family so you can see how everyone is.
I still sit and hand make all my Christmas cards or pull from my stash of handmade cards and send to my HUGE list of people. I don’t get one back from everyone, and there were years that really bothered me, but I chalked it up to being military and having a new address (though they did get a card from me with my new address, I’m just saying) So I did have about a year that I was a “Grinch” and only sent cards to those who sent to me, then I realized I wanted to send to everyone regardless and did that the next year.
I know personally this year, the stamp money was an issue for me I mean my list has well over 100 people on it,add to that gifts and shipping expenses (wow is it expensive to ship now!!) and Christmas in general is pretty lean at our house this year. So I think that could be a big part of it with the economy some just don’t have the extra funds for Christmas cards and stamps.
Yes! I totally agree with you. We haven’t seen near as many cards in the past few years and it makes me so sad b/c I love to take the time and energy to choose the perfect card to represent our family each year. I will continue to send them out even if we don’t receive many any longer. I love your authentic-self May! Thanks for sharing it with us!
My cards went out later this year too & some were homemade & some were store bought. I try not to stress about the fact that they all weren’t homemade.
We’re doing New Year’s cards this year b/c of Hope’s arrival home from University. 🙂
I’ll be doing cards, but still haven’t sent them yet … I must say that I do the first cards to the people that sent them to me – mainly to make sure they actually get there before Christmas. But I still send out about 60 each year!
I use Walmart and shutterfly. I’ve tried other when I’ve had a coupon but always worth it.
Holiday cards—– Let me just say “I hear you girl”
Julie