holiday card roundup

So yesterday I finally sent out a few holiday cards, hopefully just in time for the new year. I just didn't have my act together this year to get them done before Christmas. Which, as it turned out, was a good thing, too, since two of my childhood friends with whom I still exchange once-a-year greetings had moved in the past year and I didn't yet have new postal addresses for them until their cards to me arrived. And I got a whole slew of cards on the 27th, so other people are also not quite "on time" this year.

Once again, we didn't get around to taking a picture of us and the dogs and making photo cards. I keep thinking that some year we'll do this. We did snap a cute picture one year, but then I just emailed it to people. There are so many friends for whom I only have email addresses, now, that the tradition of handwritten cards, which I really do like, is withering away despite my best efforts.

When I send holiday cards, I always write in them. Just a brief note about a couple of things that have happened lately. I hate receiving store-bought cards that just have a signature (got 2 or 3 of those this year). Why bother? If they're photo cards, or cards with a photo enclosed, then at least the photo is personal.

iBeth asks some good questions about the conventions of sending photos with holiday cards. Many of my friends had their children somewhat late, within the past couple of years, so now I'm inundated with toddler pics. Like Beth, I much prefer the pictures of the whole family, which at least includes my friend, since I have never even met most of these children.

Although I didn't make photo cards this year, I did enclose a picture of our dogs with some people's cards. G & W are a huge part of my life, and my note to people sometimes included news about them. And I felt a wish to share a picture back to people in exchange for the babies. And, to be truthful, some part of my brain was really sick of the whole baby-centered thing and wanted to shake it up a little. Which I'm sure they won't understand. But that's OK. Many years ago, a friend who had moved off the grid sent me a picture of her goat at Xmas. I kept it on the fridge for a long time, as a joyful reminder that families take many forms.