Christmas Cards and Gin

It's Christmas well not actually Christmas yet it still 22 days out but as the Christmas season, the very beginning of the Christmas season at least for me. This morning I realized the start that it was the second day of the month and I haven't even started my granddaughters letters. I told you that I write my granddaughters, two of them anyway, letters every month. I usually try to get me started on the first in the month which for some reason yesterday, Saturday the first day of December the task completely slipped my mind. And probably the only reason I thought it the girls today is because I realized I'd better get on the stick and write Christmas card for the family. I basically keep my cards limited to my immediate family and a couple nieces and nephews I sent to but not many.

Getting into the Christmas card mood is getting harder and harder every year. Last year was sporadic at best since I've only been here for two months. I was still unsettled last year that I barely had the address is correct. I hope now I still have my electronic file that I compiled after contacting one of the brothers and sisters I don't remember which. I've got a couple of boxes of Christmas cards in one of my random boxes. Random boxes are boxes I have that have odds and ends in them. This is where the left over Christmas cards handed out for a couple years. I just hope the family doesn't mind repeats. Actually I'm surprised they even remember and I sent Christmas cards out.

The vision I have in my mind's eye of the writing out Christmas cards snow falling outside my patio window. I have either Christmas carols playing on the radio or White Christmas or Scrooged playing on the DVR in the background as I sip gin and tonics made with real Tanqueray. Of course reality is carving the kitchen table with just enough room to write and scratch out cards for all the addresses I get my hands on. No gin and tonics, usually no music just endless NPR soft talk or whatever.if I'm really lucky I would get the cards out by day seven of December. I got these great address stickers from the Southern Poverty Lot Center in the mail a couple weeks ago (some fundraising gimmick) which work ideally for sending out cards. For the first time my family will know for sure what my mailing address is. My handwriting has never been good, even before the wreck, now my handwriting is part of my art projects. Who knows maybe I get lucky and get some cards before the end of the holiday season.

There's still the issue of gifts. I'm a horrible gifter, I just don't know what to buy for people and then if I get a hard time spend money. I have noticed their here getting worse and worse and caving into electronic gifting. 15 or $20 gifts to Amazon or any other company that does Internet cards (?). Oddly enough I do not mind getting such gifts. I can order of things or virtual things depending how much the gift is for… Even things like movie tickets. I never have but I can send gift cards to restaurants, theaters or anything else. All I have to do is do a search of what is available that persons community. Still not like in a real gift which comes wrapped in brown paper and fits under a tree quietly also quietly giving off Christmas spirit.