Desk Shot: Holiday Greetings

Oops... missed a Desk Shot from December - found it lurking in my Drafts folder!  And an important Desk Shot it was!!!  I'm a traditionalist when it comes to sending Christmas cards.  Probably the only "tradition" I adhere to.  I sent out over 130 cards this year so Christmas cards were a huge chunk of my time - definitely worthy of a Desk Shot!  How could I have ever let this one get by?

Originally my tradition was quite traditional:  a boxed card of a certain quality, a heartfelt pre-printed greeting from someone else's creative mind, a variety of options - funny, religious, politically correct... but as time has passed, I've conformed to modern conveniences.  Somewhat. 

Photocards are the way I now go.  I started this when my son was born and people asked me for a picture if I hadn't included one in their card.  I realized it wasn't the greeting they wanted as much as an update (or rather, I decided this is what they wanted).  A photocard seemed like a reasonable solution, being cheaper than buying both cards and developing (pre-digital age here) photos - so I got me a two-fer!  In reality, I enjoy the photocards myself and am a little disappointed when I get a "just a card" from those die-hard traditionalists I Christmas card correspond with! 

This is a time consuming task, no matter how much I do enjoy it.  I find it theraputic almost, despite the hand cramps since I hand write out each address.  And I lick each flap, schlep to the post office to buy a festive stamp, which I then meticulously peel, then stick in each corner.  And I record each card sent, and each received - I probably got 70% return response from my list, but still it's worth it to me.  This is the one time of year I make an effort to connect.  This year, more than years past, I've noticed how many MORE greetings I could have sent.  Facebook, LinkedIn, multiple jobs through the years have increased my network.  That and some inexplicable need to stay connected to people until they give me a reason not to...  

So I participate in this one ritual every year, this one tradition I keep.  Times are a-changin' and maybe soon I'll cave and do a newsletter, digitalize my mailing labels, or (aghast!) send an electronic greeting, but until then, I've got this Desk Shot to warm my heart and make me smile.  Carpal tunnel ache and all.