Christmas Cards

I love Christmas cards. I should rephrase that, I love getting Christmas cards, especially the ones with pictures. At the beginning of this month, I begin getting the mail. Usually it isn't that big of a deal to me. Gary always picks it up when he comes home from work: not during December! I find myself glancing outside hoping for the postman, post officer, employee of the United States Post Office, . . . what are they called these days? I find myself glancing outside for the individual who delivers our mail on a regular basis. If I happen to miss the delivery and Gary gets the mail first, I greet him at the door with a kiss (always first!) and then, "Did we get any good mail?" He willingly lets me open the envelopes with handwriting on the outside. I love seeing the pictures, I love reading Christmas letters, I love putting all the cards on my cupboards so I can look at them each day. I keep them all, every year, so that many years from now I can pull them out and remember how young my niece and nephew were, how the styles have changed, and how far Christmas cards have come. Remember when it was a big deal to pick out the card. . . and it was just a card. Which message? Which picture? What are you going to write to the cute boy that you have a crush on. . . don't be direct, but perhaps a hint or two? Then, the pictures began. First, folks began including a 4x6 photo. Are you serious? It was wonderful. Will I or won't I include a photo? Soon, the madness began. Karen (my best friend besides Jesus and Gary) and I sent out pictures of the two of us for many years. We lived together for six, so we took a family photo. We had to find the negative, submit it long in advance. . . you remember. One year we went lobstering in the Keys and had a great picture of us, our lobsters, and Russel. . . the former student who took us lobstering. Since we wanted that photo (we both looked great!) we had it made into a card with "Feliz Navidad" (after all, we were living in Miami). I sent mine out as is, and Karen cut Russel off the end of the card. Her cards looked oddly shaped, but Russel wasn't in them. I had to answer the question of "who is that boy?" In the months following, I found pictures of Russel hidden in my bedroom and classroom.
Last night we took our Christmas card photo: our three kids. Getting them dressed was an event. Having them stand together was an event. Trying to get them to all look at the same time was an event. Getting three smiles at the same time was an event. Sorting through twenty photos was an event. Choosing the card from Samsclub.com was an event. . .so we decided to show the event on our card. There is one main picture, and three smaller pictures of the event that was. When Gary returns home (he is gone on business for a few days: pray for me!) I'll try and post some event pictures. I will say that at one point, both boys fell into the tree. Gary and I loved it and laughed over and over again. See, perhaps the reason why I love the Christmas card isn't just because I get to see pictures of my family and friends, it isn't just because it is fun to get mail, it isn't just because I get caught up with far away friends, but because it is another fun event in my life. If you didn't know, I love celebrating events.