Days of Christmas: Day 9

Every year, a day or so after Halloween, I hit local stores in search of the best Christmas cards I can find. I tell myself (and anyone fool enough to question my methods) that I do this because I need to have the full selection of available cards. If you wait until closer to Thanksgiving, the cards will be picked over.

So, I buy early.

And, buying early also has the benefit of giving me the leisure to procrastinate writing the cards for 4-5 weeks, and still get them sent out in plenty of time for Christmas. Bonus for last-minuters like me.

Each year, I send out between 40-50 Christmas cards. And, each year, I sit back and wait for reciprocating cards to roll in.

Only, they never do.

I usually get somewhere in the neighborhood of 4 or 5 Christmas cards--usually just from family members that got mine and felt bad.

I have often hypothesized that friends and extended family, perhaps, did not see me as an adult, and so did not include me on their Christmas card list. You know, I was a student for a million years, and I was a single Mormon girl for a long time (which status always makes Mormon people treat you like a teenager until you can attain the magical, mature status of "married." Nevermind how much harder it is to do things BY YOURSELF than with a partner.). Perhaps my single and student status kept me in a perpetual child state in the minds of my friends and family. Perhaps.

Really, when we analyze this theory, it's ridiculous. You would think my major back surgery and towering stature would counteract that other nonsense.

Something tells me this year will be different ("something" meaning the rings on the fourth finger of my left hand and that guy that supports me while I'm unemployed--yeah, I'm way more of an adult now--and the fact that I'm 30--and that I have a "J.D." and an "Esq." after my name now).

I sent my cards out last week.

So far, I have received zero Christmas cards. But, it's only December 9. People definitely have 15 more days. I'm not worried. Nope. Just because if I don't get any Christmas cards again it can only mean that the reason is actually PERSONAL, and not the whole single gal thing, doesn't put any more pressure on my card count. Nope.

For those of you that DO get Christmas cards (because people like you), here is a great idea for recycling your old cards (from the people at Better Homes and Gardens):
Keep Christmas cards you receive this Christmas and stash them away with your decorations for next year. Next year, use your favorite cookie cutter (or 5) and trace Christmasy shapes on the cards over the most colorful parts of the card fronts. Cut out the shapes and display them on garland (as shown), loop ribbons through them and make new tree ornaments, or string them along a stretch of thin ribbon, yarn, or string and hang them in lines across a window.

It's a craft I'd sure like to try.

If you'd like to send the Bot/Tron family a Christmas card, send an email to sheartyrants@gmail.com, requesting a mailing address. We cannot put our address on the internet for hater avoidance reasons. Cards received by the family will be featured in a later post (and if you are a blogger, your blog would be linked, obviously).