15 Holiday Cards w/ Envelopes $10.95

One of my favorite holiday activities is Christmas card preparation. I've been doing it ever since I had my first apartment and mailed my own cards independent of my parents. I love making my list (my sister just read this and peed a little bit...we have a little obsession about list making and hers is kinda out of control, we may plan an intervention), addressing them, stuffing them with pictures of the kids, and writing inspirational, personalized messages like "We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Very Happy New Year". And as boring as that is, we really mean it. And there's getting the kids pictures ready to put in the card. Ya have to cut them out and then write their names on the back, etcetera. I'm not a Martha Stewart type and this is as crafty as I get and the only time of year that I do it, folks. So let me have my moment.

You know what I have noticed over the years though? The boxes of cards are getting smaller; as in less of them than there were before. I have about 40 people on my list and I used to be able to buy 2 boxes of 20 cards each and be done with it. Somewhere along the way Hallmark got wise to this, how should I say? Convenience? That's just nonsense! We aren't allowed convenience! "Let's put 18 in the box and charge the same! And, they'll have to buy an extra box to make up the difference and they can use the leftover 8 cards as kindling! BRILLIANT!" ..."But wait! If the card is extra special fancy, let's only put 15 in the box! And charge the same! Ohh! OOOOOHHHH!!! And the fancier they get, the less and less we put in the box! Here! This one is really super-duper expensive looking fancy. Let's put 8 in this box. Do you think someone will buy it?" "Oh yeah. And, dude, they'll have to buy like 5 boxes". "And we'll charge the same!!!".

This year, I have 32 people on my list. I bought 2 boxes of 15 cards each. So I'm scratching 2 people off my list. The relationships I have with these two people is strictly that of the Christmas card exchange. We do not go into detail about our lives through the exchange. We have not called each other in years. I do not know anything about them except that they live at the same address as they did the previous year. And that they used to like to go to happy hour after work; ten years ago. I will not buy the extra box. Please note (in the photo above) the button used to dot the "i" and the felt "r". Mine are only moderately fancy.