Plight of the Christmas Card

My hometown church every year puts together an Advent booklet filled with short stories and reflections from its members. My aunt helps one of her best friends fill those pages—badgering encouraging my family to each submit something. This year's theme was "Christmas Cards & Christmas Letters." Here's what I had to say:

The plight of the holiday card in my household is an annual struggle. I usually start early—sometimes weeks or months ahead—and think that this will be THE year I get them in the mail the day after Thanksgiving.

As far as I can recall, that has never happened.

It matters not if I buy a box of cards on a Wal-Mart clearance rack, dusted in glitter and sparkling with Christmas tree lights, or if I sit down at my computer and let my mouse create scenes from family photos: I'm always late.

One year I got so ambitious I made two cards—one for friends and one for family. Each featured the cards' recipients juxtaposed over Christmas tree bulbs...and I believed they arrived sometime between Dec. 26th and January 2nd. Or perhaps like years of late, I delivered them as I passed out my sack of ribbon-wrapped presents.

A few years ago I gave up on the idea of printing, trimming, stuffing, addressing, stamping and mailing my stack of holiday cards. Instead I emailed the finished design to my loved ones with a virtual shrug and a grin and hoped they wouldn't mind that this year I just wasn't going to get around to it.

Evidence of my efforts can be found tucked around my home. In my spare bedroom desk, I found a stack of filled red envelopes from 1990-something, waiting to be addressed. In my giftwrap box, two packages of store-bought cards remind me that I don't always find the time or energy to get my creative juices flowing; sometimes someone else's inspiration just has to suffice. Even in my office the cards find me: in my bottom desk drawer are a handful of leftover cards with my infant son (now 3.5) smiling up at me.

When confronted with my belated card disease, I often think of my step-grandma, Rosalind. Her cards always arrive a day ahead of a holiday, a birthday or an occasion without a missed address or crooked stamp. Her greeting card skills are unmatched, and I keep thinking that one day she'll rub off a little on me.

Until then, I'm busy planning my 2010 holiday card as I sift through Noah's Halloween candy. I'm forecasting a mail date of Nov. 26th... Or Dec. 26th at the very latest.

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And the good news: my cards are DONE (almost). Early! They are designed, printed, cut, and (mostly) mailed. It's a Christmas miracle! 

Merry Christmas... early!