Christmas cards are becoming outdated

That’s done. The Christmas cards are in the mail. I usually like sending Christmas cards. It is a way for me to touch base with people I don’t see often. I am one of the few people who actually like getting those over the top letters telling me that their lives are perfect. I know better than to believe that.

I have listened to them tell me the story that lurks between the lines. I hear about petty disagreements and hurt feelings as well as the joy. In most cases the happiness outweighs the bad. Other times, I listen. Just listen.

By the time they call again, days or weeks later, the problems that caused so much pain have dissipated, and they are reasonably happy once again.

I think this is the last year that I am going to send out real cards. My handwriting is getting worse. I half expect the post office to sign me up for a writing class.

When my hubby delivered the local newspaper we received enough cards to go around the door twice. I tape them to the walls around the door. This year there are three so far.

Social media seems to have eclipsed the post office in the greeting business. After all, electronic greetings appear instantly and don’t clutter up the outside of the fridge. Another plus is that they don’t require one to stand in front of the selection in the store. There are religious cards, cards with Santa or the Grinch and dozens more. Do you get the funny one or the serious one? Do you go for cheap or expensive?

At some point you need stamps. Once again you have to decide on the design. It is enough to make the reindeer irritable. Wait a minute, reindeer aren’t allowed in the building. Maybe that was Mrs. Claus I saw.

Anyway, this year's cards are in the hands of the postal service.

The post office is also delivering two boxes of gifts to our daughter and her family. I didn’t get everything I intended to buy, but everyone has at least one present. Granddaughter Emma is getting cash. Anything else will have to wait for her birthday in the first week of the year.

Apparently she is starting on her prom dress already. She wants cash so she can buy fabric and thread. That girl never ceases to amaze me.

Greeting cards and presents are just two of the ways we celebrate. We have two big plastic boxes full of decorations. Most of it will stay right where it is. It seems that buying a live tree, decorating it with handmade ornaments then taking them back off after the needles have turned vicious and homicidal has become more work than it is worth.

I read that somewhere there is a place that rents Christmas trees. After the holiday they take the tree back. They do this until the tree reaches a set height then they plant it so it can live out its life in tree heaven. What a terrific idea. I would love to do that. I am beginning to understand my mom’s tree preference. She always had the iconic silver tree. Sadly, none of us wanted the bedraggled tree, and it was set out to the curb with her other possessions none of us wanted. 

Trees, cards and handmade decorations are all parts of the grand birthday party we throw every year. 

For many, it is a religious holiday to celebrate the birth of a child who changed the world. For others, it is an exercise in spending without going broke. 

However, and whatever you celebrate, I hope it is the best ever.