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Christmas cards? Or no Christmas cards?
Here's the thing. I LOVE getting Christmas cards at Christmas time. Christmas cards with pictures of family and friends make me happy, and I smile every time I tear into one. For that simple reason, I should not even question whether or not to send cards. But I am.
This year I am even a step ahead. I already have a family picture that I love. That's the hard part, finding a decent picture. And it's done thanks to ever-so-talened Rachel Blackwell.
But now I'm contemplating the address finding. And envelope addressing. And stamp licking. And, if I'm being honest, mainly, I'm dreading the cost. I don't think you could call me "cheap," but we are always tight. And at Christmas... well, even tighter. Can I get an amen?So, I'm still contemplating. And wondering why the cost of stamps keeps rising.
I've posted these pictures on my blog before, but they are so worth repeating. This is my all-time, favorite Slaughter Christmas card attempt, captured on film.
We were still at John Brown, living in Siloam Springs (pre-Jeb) and decided to take our Christmas card picture in front of the fire with a camera mounted on a tripod in the middle of the living room floor. Everything was going fine until Faulkner, who was just a kitten at the time, became curious about the fire, and before we knew it, leaped into the flames.
Here you can see the curiosity setting in....
And there he is... actually IN the fire with Matt and I yelling at him.
I so wish we had the shot of the cat realizing what he had done and tearing out of there (just a bit singed). If memory serves, someone knocked over the tripod, and I got several great shots of my ceiling.So what are your thoughts on Christmas cards? Are you doing them or not doing them? Or do you have a crazy good suggestion about getting through the process? Love to hear.
7 comments:
We are doing them this year for the first time in a LONG time.
You're right - it is an expensive endeavor. I bought cards at the Dayspring sale at Shiloh this past summer for super cheap, but I still ended up having to buy more. Then adding pictures and paying for stamps...the cost just keeps growing. I hate that part of it, and I'm SO not a sentimental person that it has never bothered me to not send cards. But Husband declared we were going to do it, and being the submissive wife I am (ha!), they went in the mail yesterday. I feel like I need to start saving now for next year.
So, all of that to say...do them, don't do them...the world still turns and people still know you love them. :)
Well, you already know that I decided not to this year. It's the first time in probably 10-12 years we haven't. I LOVE sending cards. LOVE it.
But...
This year it's just not in the budget. The older our kids get, the more the things they wish for cost and we can't find/justify the money to send them this month. John was a pastor for such a long time and every time we left a church our card list grew exponentially. Every year I order 350 Christmas cards (and get almost that many in the mail too!!!) and even with my most frugal endeavors it's EXPENSIVE. I figure it won't kill us to skip a year.
My best tip for getting them out is to have a family night devoted to folding, stuffing, sticking, licking, stamping. My kids have helped us the past two years and it's been a HUGE help. I've had to let some of my OCD go when I see the stamps aren't on straight or the envelope is smudged though.
Also, take the time to compile a database of addresses you can print from each year. I always tear the return addresses off of the cards I get in the mail (if they've moved or their address has changed) and I go through and update my database each January when I put the cards away.
Sorry to write a novel. Good luck!!!
After typing all that out, I'm sorta sad we're not doing it.
I love your new family picture! It is so good! I also love sending & receiving Christmas cards especially if they have a picture on them! I just tell myself it is only once a year (as for justifying the expense)! :)
Love the picture!! Your family is so beautiful. I have sent out cards every year since we got married in 99. This will be our first year not to. We are in the hard-core saving mode for our adoption...so I just can't justify it. It makes me sad, but the money I will save it SO worth it!
for 5 years I have done a FREE smilebox card filled with all sorts of pics from the previous year... I send it via email and can post it on Facebook! Not quite the same as having our picture taped up to the refrigerator or on some fancy phot wreath in all our friends homes... but it lets people know I am thinking about them and hopefully adds some cheer to someone's inbox!
ulaOk, I am SOOOO with you on this. I took my family Christmas pix the day after Halloween to insure that I would be ready and have plenty of time to get organized and get my pix card to everyone's home in time for them to enjoy our lovely faces the entire month of December.
THEN I started shopping around at prices and I was shocked (after not doing it for a few years) AND all year long I've heard about how people got theirs for free with special codes or got a steal early in the season, but then when I start asking around no one "remembers". Hmmmm. Okay, stepping away from that...I agree it's something so special and when you get a really good pix that well portrays your family you want to share it with everyone. Kudos to those of you who keep an organized UPDATED address list. So bogged down with all this, plus the daily norm, and the other Christmas cheer - it seems easier to NOT do it. It's totally ridiculous, but I am still on the fence. Oh don't you worry or fret, I will share my REALLY good Christmas family pix with you.
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