Christmas Mailings

Am I still standing? Woah. It's Friday again. And it's been freaking cold here. I did that dreaded of all holiday chores this week--Christmas cards. I order mine from an online (natch) company called Winkflash. Upload, click click, order, delivered in two days. Niiiice. Our photo was from our Thanksgiving vacation. I have a somewhat crazed look on my face. Maybe it was the pressure of the moment. My kids, dressed for dinner, (can't take the pic after, since they would be wearing dinner), feeling extra plump, asking a stranger to take the picture: "Excuse me, I think we blinked in that one, too. Would you mind taking a 43rd just in case?"
I sent one hundred cards this year. I used to hand write a note on the back of every one. (That was when E was a baby). Now, I use that awful enclosure--the boilerplate Christmas letter.

We had another amazing year. Boys are grown up so fast.
We had great vacations all over. SO happy every one in our families are
healthy. M and I enjoying our first full year in Mobile. E is in
Kindergarten. S is a growing boy. Everything is SUPER!!! Happy
Holidays!

Somehow, it took me two pages to get it done this year. I threw in a couple of extra pictures. I also used to have all of my addresses in a database and could sort by country, (lots of international mail during the holidays) religion, (yes, I used to send Hanukkah & Christmas cards) and by whose side of the family. (just in case, one day anything went sour and we had to divide up our friends) Everything was so high tech and spiffy. Click, Click PRINT and out came 100 perfect labels. But then every one started moving, and getting divorced, and married, and I never updated these things in my database. I barely updated these things in my phone book (I still have our landlord from Baltimore in there, and we HATED him). So, now I hand address the envelopes. The writing's all sloping and uneven, especially around card 90. We stuffed the notes during a football game, and M sealed them shut for me. Sam put the stamps on, and we got those suckers on their way. So, if you get a card from us this year, enjoy all the work we put into it. If you have been getting cards from us for many years, try not to compare this one with the hand written masterpieces you used to receive. And, if you didn't get a card this year, keep reading this. It's waaaaaaaaaaaaay better than the card.