Christmas Cards

It's taking me longer than usual to write my Christmas cards, this year.  I pray for each person and/or family I send a card to.  I also pray for the people who sent me cards.  It's my Christmas gift for each one of them.

The Christmas Letter

Do you write Christmas letters?  I wasn't brought up to.  My mother used to say, "If everything's so honkey dorey, then why don't they slip in a couple of dollars for us?"

My theory is, that people who write these letters are bragging.  The news they give you is always wonderful.  They never tell you who got busted for drugs, DUI, flunked classes, kicked out of school, lost his job, beat his wife, is having an affair, or kicked the family dog.  These letters are all about above average kids and beautiful adults.

Another thing about these letter is that most of them arrive AFTER Christmas.  I think the letters are trying to compensate for the fact that the senders don't have their act together.  They're not organized enough to get their Christmas cards out in time for Christmas.  They're trying to make up---"See why we're late getting our Christmas cards out.  We had to write letters."

"B" as in B., and "S" as in S.  I'm not buying it.

I do like the Christmas photo cards.  I like to see how the kids have grown.   The above picture was almost my Christmas card.  My niece fell asleep.  We were going to put a cigarette in her fingers, and a can of beer in her hand.  Oh, did I tell you that she's only sixteen?  That would have been a good "anti-photo Christmas card."  Too bad Christina woke up before our nefarious, dastardly plans were put into affect.

Besides her father wouldn't get the joke.

So here's my real card.  Merry Christmas.

Christmas Cards

Writing Christmas Cards is fun. I like to connect to relatives and friends, at least once a year. My address book is a file of index cards. On the front is the name, address and phone numbers. On the back, are notes. Information like their children's names, birth dates, boy/girl friend names, etc. I'll refer to this in the card.

Most of the time, I just sign my name. I just don't have time to write more. It's the card that's the gift. I'm saying, "thinking of you." But it's the outside of the card, that causes me anxiety. I try to match the picture to the receiver. I'm not sending a beautiful Madonna and Child to my Wiccan co-worker. That would be wasted. She'll get a generic Santa, or snowman.

I enjoy sending the religious ones to my friends who would appreciate it. After all, Christmas is religious. I even mail these cards with the Madonna stamps. The other cards are mailed with the pine cone stamps.

It's important to send cards before Christmas. But people who write the newsletters with their cards are always late. Did you ever notice that? I think that's why they do it--write long letters. It's to say, see that's why I'm late; I'm excused; I was writing this letter; Aren't I more special? Not that I don't like the newsletter. I like to see what your family's been up to. But have you ever noticed that the news in these letters is always wonderful. I never read about Daddy got drunk and smashed the car and the police arrested him, and he's in prison for a bit. Suzie was raped. Johnny keeps getting fired from his jobs.

Every thing is always honkey dorey. Well, if everything is so wonderful, and honkey dorey, how come you didn't send me any money with your wonderful, honkey dorey, news?