Christmas Cards

Do you send Christmas cards?

I have mailed Christmas cards once, maybe twice.

One year, we got some great family pictures taken at Target and went ahead and ordered cards to send on the spot.

Another year, we had pictures taken near the holidays, and were given a couple of sample cards that we then mailed to grandparents.

One year, I sent out an email update with a few pictures attached.

My biggest reason for not sending Christmas cards is money. It doesn't seem like much, but this time of year is so expensive that it is hard to justify spending another $50+ on portraits, cards and postage. I know that makes me sound like a cheapskate, but non-essentials are hard to work in sometimes.

But I love Christmas cards. I look forward to receiving them in the mail. Photo cards are my favorite, but I've received some really pretty traditional cards as well.

I keep all the cards that I receive. I used to stick them on the fridge or let them pile up on the counters, but a few years ago, I found a way to display them.

I got crafty and made myself a card wreath. (Thanks Pinterest!)

I spent a windy day spray-painting a bunch of clothespins green, and this is what my efforts yielded:

It's my favorite thing that I've made, aside from my children.

Each December, I hang it up and anxiously await the cards that will fill it.

Each year, I get nervous when it is mid-December and I only have two cards. But then my busy friends and family come through and it inevitably gets filled up with smiling faces and beautiful designs.

Then Christmas comes and goes and I am ready to tear down all the decorations.

But I can't bring myself to throw away those beautiful cards.

So I hole punch them and stick them on a binder ring.





Yep. I'm a pack rat.

If you have sent me a card since 2011, I still have it.

It's fun to flip through and see how much everyone has grown and changed. It's interesting to notice families come and go as time passes and friendships change.

Will I be sending cards this year?

...Are you serious? It's Christmas Eve. I'm totally out of time.

But perhaps I will put together an online card, in the form of a blog post, sometime within the next week.

And perhaps I will set aside money for cards to send next year. I could take my own pictures to lower the cost.

I doubt I'm the only one who loves them so.