This time of year my mind turns to Christmas and all of the Holiday Traditions that have evolved in our home. Many of these i got from my Grandparents or my folks, but most of the really cool ones (wait for it) were my idea!!! Okay, that was shameless, but hey; What fun is it to be who you are if you don't get to do your things?? Like does that make any sense to anyone but me?? I'm not sure the bats in the belfry got that one.
Some years ago as we were receiving our Christmas cards like we do every year, there was one in there from Hughes, where i used to work. Yeah, now Hughes is a huge company, or was, but their Christmas card was the nicest, coolest, neatest, most personal card we got that year. It got me to thinking. What did i send out for Christmas cards?? Well i went and looked and Dude, lemme tell you the ones i sent out that year had a picture of a Poinsettia on the front and a horrible verse inside with a broken rhyme. YUK!!!! I vowed at that moment that i was going to have cool cards from that day forward. I mean if a big old company like Hughes can do it right, shouldn't I be able to put something in the mail that makes people go, "oh cool, what a great card!"
One year, i made the paper the cards were printed on. Yeah that was cool but it wasn't so exciting. I have printed years worth of cards off of the old printer that i have designed in Word, Excel (LOL), even AutoCad. Usually, we'll take a picture and send pictures with them and have even done photo cards. Though those didn't come out as cool as i had hoped cause the guy at the picture people didn't like us.
For a number of years i have wanted to take all of the old cards that we have been sent, that i have been holding on to, and spread them out and take a picture of them to use as the picture on the front. I think that would be cool, but i really have to wonder if anyone would recognise any of their cards in the picture. Which brings me to this year.
This year i went to Michael's and got some cards that were blank on some paper that i thought was pretty cool. I am going to use my Calligraphy pens (dip pens) to write the verse i have written for the inside. Then i got some raffia and I'm going to tie them up (sort of) so they look like presents and inside the card I'm going to put a recipe or two and something else. If i put everything in it that has been talked about it will end up looking like that coupon clipper envelope that comes in the mail. It's a monstrous undertaking, but it plays right into my "A" Number 1 Romantic Necessity.
The Romantic Necessity i am speaking of is letter writing. I know it's an anachronism, but damn, there is almost nothing more thoughtful to me than getting a letter. Don't get me wrong, I'm not that far gone toward the loony bin. Email, Texting, and Phone calls all have their place, but a letter that is hand written is so very personal. Think of it this way, the letter writer sat down and spent time out of their day to write you a letter. Any way you shake it, that's giving of yourself and it's a terribly intimate thing. There aren't enough people writing them anymore, but I'm sure I'll do it till i die. I know i will, i have enough stationery for two lifetimes...LOL If you've gotten mail from me then you know what i'm saying is true.
*If you want a card all you have is but to ask.
One last thing. I haven't the ability to pick a best friend in this world. I am very close with a very small number of people and just can't put one ahead of all the others. One of them, as Forrest Gump would say, Best Good Girl Friend is having her twins today and as i close this, i want to say that my thoughts are continually with her. In the years since i met her she has gone from something of an annoyance to my most trusted confidante and the world will most assuredly be enriched with a little more of her in it. I had a daughter once that told me, "All things will be made whole through sacrifice and grace." I wouldn't be alive to tell you that if i didn't wholly believe it.
Take care of yourselves, so that you can take care of the ones you love. D
"Fat bottomed girls make the rockin world go round" 12/10/09 4:18AM
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