It's been a much loved tradition for me to send out WAY TOO MANY Christmas cards.
To get them all written, addressed and mailed by Canada Post's mid-December deadline, I need to get started in mid-November.
That didn't happen this year. I had the cards and I had the stamps and I had my list, but November came and went, then December came and it was all I could do to get about 25 cards (about 1/2 of my list) done and sent.
One of the reasons it takes me so long to get my cards done is because I do use the tradition of sending Christmas cards to include a typed letter inside many of them. Not the generic, one-size-fits-all "family brag-a-thon" that some people put in their cards, but a personal letter just for each recipient. It's a terrific opportunity to reach out and keep in touch with people who live far away or who I don't see anymore for whatever benign reason. It's a cathartic process for me that brings me lots of pleasure. I love writing!
I also love listening to Christmas music and drinking wine while doing my cards. As I write, I really do reflect and look back on what went on in my world throughout the year. Sometimes I surprise myself with what I remember.
Several things got in the way, and I won't bore you by listing them. I made a feeble attempt the rest of my cards in the mail in time to arrive before New Year's Day, but that Failed with a Capital F. I finally came clean with myself and accepted that 2021 will go down in history for something other than Year II of COVID: it will also be The Year I Didn't Get My Cards Done. I'm probably overestimating the importance what it means to anyone not getting a card from me, but I feel like I've let myself down.
I thought I had forgiven myself but I guess not quite.
Oh well, there's always Lunar New Year and Valentine's Day. My 2021 Christmas cards will keep until Christmas 2022.
Ms. Karen, DO NOT give this another thought. I know, way easier to say than do. The past 2 years have taught us much. Our "normal" is unrecognizable from this date in 2019. To expect all of us to carry on the way we did is unthinkable. You have always been and continue to be a beacon of light for so many. Shine in my friend.
Posted by: Ric Darling | 01/02/2022 at 09:47 AM