I finally finished addressing, signing, and stamping my Christmas cards.
It started weeks ago, when I reviewed the cards for sale at Border's Books, and fell in love with one particular box of cards. Unfortunately, it was the most expensive box on the table, there were only 10 cards in a box, and at the rate I send cards, I'd have needed 6 boxes. So I put them back, and settled for a lessor card at a more affordable price.
Last weekend I attempted to use mail merge to do Christmas labels. I only do mail merge once a year, so I have to re-learn it every year. This year I was a slower than usual learner. It kept merging names with both the personal and business addresses on the same label, or with parts of each address. It frustrated me to the point that I convinced myself to skip the printed labels and hand write the 60 envelopes. Chance to use nice fountain pen. More personal anyhow.
Today, I un-boxed the cards and discovered that the envelopes were silver - slick and gun-metal gray and pretty much as tacky as a K-Mart nightgown. The fountain pen wouldn't even write on the slickness.
Back to mail merge. I figured I could hide some of the silver gray with white labels. I mail merged again, and finally just went through each label and deleted the un-wanted bits of address to get something usable. Only then my printer wouldn't work. Something about re-installing drivers.
Having thrown the cards in the trash along with the ugly slick envelopes, I went up to the CVS Pharmacy to buy more. I had a $4 off coupon even. Well the CVS cards were cheap and they looked it, but at least the envelopes were white. After 20 minutes of agonizing I picked 3 boxes that were the less tacky than the others, picked up 2 cans of mixed nuts as a consulation for myself, paid and came home. Taking into account the price of the nuts, I could have bought the cards I wanted to start with. Well, live and learn.
Since the CVS cards came 18 to a box instead of 20, I had to cut some people from the list, and that was hard, but not impossible.
I found myself asking, why am I still sending cards to people I haven't seen in 20 years, and didn't even like 20 years ago when I did see them? Ken and Darlene, this means you. Will my husband's brother's wife's father and step-mother be angry not to receive a card from me? Will my sister? I'm sorry Kaye, since you ran away with the guy from rehab, I don't have your address. I'll have to wait until you send me a card so I can reply. I tried to knock a few more folks off, but my husband insisted they were close friends of his. Not so close that he wanted to write a note in their cards, you understand, but too close to drop.
I did put notes in a few cards, but didn't do the news letter thing. What could I say? We're all fine except for the kidney failure thing, the enlarged heart, the panic attacks, and the seizures? Oh yes, and we had the cat put to sleep last summer? I colored my gray hair, but I still get offered the senior citizen discount on a regular basis, and I have another 5 years until I can retire?
My husband says I stress too much over the holidays. We shopped, we got the lights up, we put a tree in the bay window, and stuck some greenery on top of the armoire. We should relax today. He's right. Nobody cares what Christmas cards I send out. I love to get cards from people, no matter what the cards look like. I'm surprised and appreciative that people remember me. I even love Christmas news letters.
On Friday, my daughter will be home for the holidays, and I'll be cheerful again, I promise.
