Monday, October 16, 2017

#MicroblogMondays: Tis the season (already??!)

Canadian Thanksgiving wasn't even over yet before Christmas stuff started taking over the stores. Generally, I think the Christmas hoopla could wait until after Remembrance Day, or at least Halloween... but there's one Christmas item I do like to start at least thinking about well in advance: my annual Christmas card.

The stores are already well stocked with a variety of cards, but nothing I've seen has grabbed me so far.  (For many years, I tried to find a card with a Katie-related theme, although they have been harder to find the last few years.)  Quite often, I see something right away that grabs me and says "This one! Buy me!"  But not this year;  at least, not so far.

On the other hand, I was browsing online and saw several photo card designs that I liked -- and one site had an offer for 60% off (which ends tomorrow) -- and I had a nice photo of dh & me in mind that I could use.

I hesitated. I've generally only done photo cards once every five years or so, and I already did one last year (using the photo of me & dh all dressed up at Older Nephew's wedding). I'll likely do another photo card next year with a photo from Younger Nephew's wedding (if I can get a good one of us together).  Would three years in a row of photo cards of us -- a middle-aged couple, no adorable children in the picture -- seem a little self-indulgent, even to the people who (supposedly??) love us?

Then I thought -- why the heck not?  (Dh concurred.)  I have friends who send me a photo card of their kids (or photos of their kids tucked inside their card) every year, without fail. (Unlike some of my childless/bereaved mom friends, I don't mind getting photo cards... although I do wish sometimes I could see a photo of the entire family, and not just the kids. I have friends I haven't seen in 30 years -- they don't do social media & if they send me a photo, it's only ever of their kids.) 

I ordered the photo cards. They'll be here by Halloween. I can cross that item off my holiday to-do list, and I should be able to get them into the mail in plenty of time for Christmas. Yay me. ;)

What do you think about getting photo cards of adults &/or pets (I've had some of those from my childless/free friends too :)  ), but not kids? 

I've tagged past posts I've written about Christmas cards with the label "Christmas card."  :)  

You can find more of this week's #MicroblogMondays posts here.

15 comments:

  1. I fully support! Will you be posting them?

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  2. Your photo is on my fridge. It will delight me to replace it with a newer photo. I do understand though, I feel strange at the idea of sending out a Christmas card with a photo of the dog and I.

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  3. I've never understood the North American photocard thing for Christmas. The last few years I have made my own Christmas cards with favourite photographs. The first year it was of my Christmassy meringue tree, the next of pohutukawa flowers (the tree is known as the NZ Christmas tree), and last year's was a photo of some of my own tree decorations. I'm so glad there's no pressure to put a photo of us on it.

    But this is not about me. You said it all when you said, "why the heck not?" Indeed! Go for it.

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    1. It's not an entirely new phenomenon, although I do seem to get a lot more of them lately... my mother has photo cards in her albums from relatives, dating back to the 1950s in b&w)! I don't think there's any particular pressure to include a photo, but some people do like to see them. These days, you can have the company add your name & greeting; you don't even have to sign them personally. I do feel guilty about that sometimes but it does save time. ;)

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  4. I’m super jealous of your 60% off coupon! I bet your card will be awesome!

    I’m all for photo cards! I personally think that anything goes. I love all of them, whether it’s a professional looking photo, candid shots, pet photos, couples photos, or any of the above. Heck, one of my favorite cards from last year was from a single friend (my age) who sent out a photo collage card with a little update on the back saying that she was happy and all of thr cool things she’d done in the past year.

    Ours will feature our dog again this year. They are already in my possession (thanks to a 50% off coupon that I utilized about 30 minutes before it expired). Hubs grandma mentioned that she’d like a picture if he and I, so we have a photo to mail her with the card.

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    1. Too bad you already ordered, although 50% isn't a bad discount either! -- my deal came from Snapfish & it ends tonight at midnight. Even with shipping & US/Cdn dollar exchange, it's still a pretty good deal! :)

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  5. Dang, girl. You look GREAT in last year's photo! (Your DH is super handsome, too).

    I'm not much for sending photo cards, but I do like getting them, whoever is in them. Truth be told, I'm partial to the dog pix.

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  6. I haven't commented in a dew years but I feel strongly about this so...You 1000% definitely did the right thing. I love photo cards and your friends will love to receive one from you!

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    1. Thanks for the vote of confidence ;) and thanks for de-lurking again to comment!

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  7. We are a childless couple and we send out a photo card every year. We get a lot of nice comments on them!

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  8. Yessss, do it! (Well, you did it!) I personally love the photo cards sent by us, BECAUSE they don't have kids on them. We've done photo cards every year since we were married, and it's kind of neat to see them year to year because they tell a story. I think the more people who do the photo cards who DON'T use them as a "my kids are so cute" vehicle, the better. I get sad when people do the photo cards and they don't include themselves, just their kids, because it's like their identity is absorbed by the children and they don't matter any more. Put yourself on the dang card! I think it's great to have pictures of you and DH looking spiffy, or happy, or adventurous, or whatever the case might be. Why should the kid people have all the fun? (And I'm with Kate, I get compliments on my cards, although now I feel an odd competition with myself to make sure each year is amazing, better than the last...which is challenging but I do it to myself.) I want to see a pic! :)

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