Sorry, Hallmark
Without even engaging in any sort of debate with myself, I’ve decided not to send Christmas cards this year.
This will be the first time in about 12 years that I won’t be doing my part to overwork the USPS this holiday season.
While I’m totally okay with my decision - I mean, I didn’t even give it a second thought - I still feel like there’s a little something missing from my holiday spirit. There was a time, not too long ago, when I threw myself into the sending of Xmas cards with the fanatical devotion of a cloistered nun.
I once had a yearly tradition of rushing out to the nearest Hallmark store on December 26th, braving those awful day-after crowds just to buy up the best half-price cards and put them away to send the following year.
I often bought both “Merry Christmas” and “Happy Holidays” cards, so as not to commit the faux pas of sending “Christmas” cards to Jewish friends. (or is that something everyone does?)
I kept meticulous lists of who I sent what card to, to eliminate the possibility of duplication with leftover cards the following year.
I took all the cards with me on business trips so I could write them out while spending long hours flying around the country.
I kept a set of red and green felt tipped pens, because Christmas cards couldn’t be written out in plain old black or blue, of course.
And I even drew little sprigs of holly on the envelopes with said red and green pens.
In retrospect, it was all rather exhausting.
The first sign of my waning enthusiasm was when I starting skipping the day-after Xmas sales and started just buying cards at full retail price. The same year in which I planned to send them.
Before I knew it, I was writing cards in blue ink and omitting the obnoxiously cute holly sprigs.
And the next thing you know, I’m foregoing the tradition altogether.
Rather than totally depress myself with the real reasons I’m not sending cards this year (i.e. the fact that so many of my old friends who I spend so much energy keeping in touch with, don’t spend much energy reciprocating, so why bother?), let’s just say I’m really busy (which I am) and I’m tired (Zzzzzzzz….) and I have a house to decorate (tree to come this weekend…yikes!), numerous Christmas gifts to purchase (I despise Christmas shopping) and dozens upon dozens of Xmas cookies to bake (I haven’t even started!) and that’s why, along with the mere anticipation of the holiday fatigue that is sure to afflict me within a few weeks, is the reason why there will be no cards from smiley_kiley this year.
That all said, the indecisive Piscean in me will probably change his mind on December 23rd. We'll see.