What is your approach on the holiday card?
Our good friends, Ted Anthony and Melissa Rayworth, went for awkward this year on their holiday card. They put the family in matching holiday PJs and took them to the Wal-Mart photo studio to get a few shots. They wish you a happy new year even in the awkward moments.
When I was growing up, the long braggy letter was the in holiday greeting. Families would try to make each other feel like crap sharing how great their year had been. I guess now people do that on Facebook.
For a while the popular approach for holiday cards has been the photo card. We started sending photo cards when Rose was born. When Walsh was born we started sending collage photo cards because we could never get one great photo of both kids.
Then that transformed into showing folks on the card what we had been up to or what the kids like. Now that we’ve moved out West our goal is to show people what we’re seeing out here because it is so different from the East Coast.
We have friends who I think are the masters of the holiday card (see above). Ted Anthony and Melissa Rayworth are both journalists we have known for many years, and every year they have a new and creative approach to their holiday cards – even if they are late. I asked Ted to send me a few of their last cards to share with you guys and here they are. It’s probably too late for this year but they may give you inspiration for next year.
I like this one because they had everyone in the family contribute. Also I think it's a great way to preserve how the kids saw and illustrated the tree at those ages.
This year they commissioned an artist to draw the family with their favorite superheroes over head.
This year, the card was going to be late. So they embraced their lateness!
What are your favorite types of holiday cards to give and receive? Do you have a Ted in your life who always comes up with the best cards? What have been your favorites?
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96 comments Add your comment
Tired Mom
December 20th, 2011
3:46 am
Haven’s sent cards in years. Money is too tight. Happy that these people can.
What Is Face Book
December 20th, 2011
4:10 am
[...] What is your approach on the holiday card? – Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog) Families would try to make each other feel like crap sharing how great their year had been. I guess now people do that on Facebook. For a while the popular approach for holiday cards has been the photo card. We started sending photo cards when … Yahoo! News Dec 20, 2011 8:12am [...]
What Is Face Book
December 20th, 2011
5:56 am
[...] What is your approach on the holiday card? – Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog) Families would try to make each other feel like crap sharing how great their year had been. I guess now people do that on Facebook. For a while the popular approach for holiday cards has been the photo card. We started sending photo cards when … Dec 19, 2011 11:29pm [...]
mom2alex&max
December 20th, 2011
7:03 am
Nope. Don’t do cards. It’s a tedious task that I used to hate, so now I don’t do it.
jarvis
December 20th, 2011
7:05 am
I just hit myself on a hammer as my wife has me “help” her decide which pic of the kids to put on the card.
ABC
December 20th, 2011
7:11 am
We do the $15 for 50 cards at Costco. Just upload one of your own digital pictures, and they have them ready the next day. It’s not free, but it’s cheaper than getting everyone a gift card like teachers, your mail carrier, etc. That’s what’s adding up this year!
This is Mrs. Norman Maine
December 20th, 2011
7:14 am
I don’t do them. It’s just another chore that costs unnecessary money and takes a little of the joy out of the season.
KCV
December 20th, 2011
7:20 am
Yes, sending Christmas cards is time consuming, but I do it every year. It is a small way to send a little joy each year to those I care about. I also love to receive them….much more than a virtual greeting.
Going green
December 20th, 2011
7:31 am
i haven’t sent out Christmas cards in years. since everyone i know has an email address, i pick out a favorite card every year on the internet and send it to them via email. it may seem impersonal to some, but i can personalize each card in a matter of minutes at very little cost to me. plus, it’s better for the environment, saving paper and all.
Rod
December 20th, 2011
7:34 am
These people don’t have time to spend a few minutes staying in touch with friends? Well, you’re not really friends worth having anyway.
We get a picture with Santa, go on Snapfish (or Shutterfly), make the cards, order them, a week later get them and mail them out.
dcb
December 20th, 2011
7:37 am
I hate to admit it because it falls under the category “isn’t anything sacred anymore” – but I went almost totally online with my Christmas cards this year. I send over 200 and have email addresses on all but a handful. And frankly, the job just got a little too much because even with a letter summarizing our family activities and growth for the year, I couldn’t get away with just signing the photo card I used to send. I always had to write a sentence (or two or three) unique to the receivers. So I bit the bullet and incorporated the message and a photo on a Blue Mountain Christmas card – apologizing profusely in the note for doing so. No ugly replies so far. But I still feel guilty.
Jeff
December 20th, 2011
7:39 am
I don’t send cards. Never have. It’s one of the benefits of being a single man, no one really expects it of you. It’s like going to a party and bringing something. If you bring crap, there’s not really any criticism. If you bring something amazing, people wonder whether you’re gay or someone helped you. :). Just havin a little fun with it.
Nickie
December 20th, 2011
7:52 am
I still send a few. Mostly to old family friends we no longer see. I’m over 60 and still in touch with a few people who were my parents’ friends and knew me as a child. It’s fun to remember them and keep them up to date with our children and grandchildren. it just feel right to do it. I write peronal notes in each one. Our other friends all get e-cards or other on line things.
April
December 20th, 2011
7:54 am
I love sending and receiving cards. Like the family in the post, I am sometimes late, but I get them out. The expense is not that great if you shop around. This year I went with a photo card from Shutterfly which was not the cheapest but had the fastest turn time around in my price range. It does take some time, but if receiving my card brightens someone’s day it is worth it. I keep all the cards I receive every year. It is fun to look back at them and see how families have grown and changed.
I really like the ideas in the post – I will keep them in mind for next year.
I know many who have stopped doing cards because of time or money. The money reasons I can completely understand.
Figment
December 20th, 2011
8:02 am
Mine will be late this year, but I’m OK with that. I want to get a picture to put in with the cards and we’ve just been so busy this year with moving and settling in at the new place. Hopefully I can get the picture taken next week and start on the cards. I think those awkward cards are great!
Enemas for Easter
December 20th, 2011
8:04 am
I think you are full of yourself if you send cards that are silly photos of yourself.
Sk8ing Momma
December 20th, 2011
8:21 am
I ditched hard copy cards years ago. Now I opt for sending ours electronically. We do an “A to Z 2011 ________ Family” edition. It’s one page that includes a couple of family photos taken during the year and highlights from our year that start w/ each letter of the alphabet. For example, “N” might be New York City – We spent thanksgiving in NYC and toured Lady Liberty on _____’s birthday. Friends & family LOVE it!
It’s a great way to be creative and include lots of information on the happenings of our family over the last year in a little bit of space.
motherjanegoose
December 20th, 2011
8:22 am
Cutes cards and fun topic TWG!
Just back in from Montreal….C’est Magnifique! We watched fireworks with hats, gloves and scarves on ( a first for us) and shivered in the 15 degree temps. We saw the beautiful Notre Dame Basillica and also heard a Christmas Concert in French and English. I just mailed my cards with letters ( a one page poem I composed about our family) inside on Friday, to about 30 people whom I know will send me a card. Others, will get an e-mail version. This year, I used the cards that were sent along with the charities I support. They were not the best cards but the charities will get a check from me. I laughed when I opened a card, last night, from former neighbors: “We look forward to your letter every year!” I enjoy the letters I have received from others so far. Chacun son gout.
motherjanegoose
December 20th, 2011
8:33 am
@ Ski8ing…love it! I want to read one!
I am trying to remember this when I read the blog: two sides here …creative/clever comments or complaints. Alliteration.
Marley
December 20th, 2011
8:39 am
Some traditions are worth it … this is one of them. Our list has grown to well over 100 photo cards sent, we probably receive 60 in return. I write a smal person note on each card. I can get all of them done in two evenings, no more than 6 hourse total spend. Honestly, it will put you in a better mood to send nice greetings (which it sounds like alot you you desperately need). When you don’t send anything, it really says you don’t care. This a huge part of what is wrong with modern society … decaying manners and graciousness.
I save all the photo cards that I get, it is fun seeing how our friends & family have aged and their children have grown. Some of the better paper cards have been made into ornaments. Environmental scrooges need to take note that anything you don’t wish to keep can be RECYCLED.
Merry CHRISTmas! :)
atlmom
December 20th, 2011
8:39 am
We never did cards, until last year. We got a picture of the kids and sent it out (for the new year). I think people like to see pictures of others. I really do love getting the pictures from friends to see what the kids look like, to know that I’m being thought of, etc. These past few weeks have been completely hectic, so we haven’t even gotten a picture of the kids at all, but I’m thinking of taking an ‘older’ one, i.e., not specifically for this time of year, and sending it out. I know people enjoy getting the cards, so I think I want to do it…
Augusta
December 20th, 2011
8:43 am
I send cards every year. This year I bought mine at the Dollar General…20 cards for $2.00. Started addressing them the day after Thanksgiving. We only send them local and we DON’T put a lengthy letter with it. Just a card. We keep in touch all year long with phone calls, Facebook, etc, so no need for a letter, just the card.
crystal
December 20th, 2011
8:52 am
I love getting news so I send news. Sometimes I get news back. It’s costly and time-consuming to send cards but I love doing it. And I’ve had people request that I not stop. I love the creative cards we get from others, too. Some send a note with pictures, one draws their own original card every year, and others sometimes send joke letters (we got one where a family described the superpowers and high-fashion modeling experiences they had had over the year). Cards and letters can be such a blast when you put your heart into it. However, it used to be disappointing when I sent every year to far-away relatives who sent me nothing, ever, and then they complained to my parents that they never heard from me. I have since realized that they complain about everything, and, if my Christmas cards can teach me who the negative people are so that I may avoid them, then it becomes a plus!
catlady
December 20th, 2011
8:53 am
This year I enclosed a printed letter–never have done that before but my hands hurt so much it seems better to do it one time, and make copies. Of course, I have added personal messages, too, so not sure if it did much good for the ole’ hands. I send out about 25 each year, and I enjoy getting the cards.
Anyone have a “family rule” like my folks did that the kid (s) could open any cards that had their name included on the front? I try to include the kid’s names now just in case they follow that rule. Even as an adult, I opened my parents’ cards that had my name on them (and a few did!) I loved reading the messages from my dad’s Army friends and from family I did not know, especially. I almost felt like I knew them, too. I miss that.
Another family tradition: My mom made pecan pies and delivered them to people who had been kind to her over the years. Eventually, she was making about 30 pies! I loved delivering them and visiting with their friends. Some folks she took pies to for over 30 years!
She also knit Christmas stockings with their names on them for people who had been good to her, and their families. When she died, she was making one for her doctor’s wife! (I did not figure out who it was for for a long time!
Becky
December 20th, 2011
8:54 am
I’m with Augusta, I send a card and that’s it..The only difference is that I buy my cards at yard sales and the thfrift stores..Have never paid over .50 for a box of cards..
motherjanegoose
December 20th, 2011
8:56 am
Thanks for the reminder Marley! I just opened another card from a HS friend who lives in TX. I have received a photo of her boys ( whom I have never met but they are adorable) since they were small. The oldest is now in college and they are standing in front of the football field. Another milestone for her family. It’s fun. I do not send cards to local folks. Typically sent only to those I will not see all year or maybe once or twice, as they are former neighbors and we sometimes meet for dinner. Some friends are older and watched us, as a young family, trying to survive. They even pitched in to help. We appreciate them so much and thus want to stay in touch and let them keep up with our family. They do not communicate with Facebook or e-mails. A card is a nice way to say we remember you.
Glenda
December 20th, 2011
8:59 am
I do hard copy Christmas cards every year. I buy mine at the Dollar Tree, a box of 20 for $1. Most of them just get signed “Merry Christmas” from (then I put our names on it). I think sending & receiving cards lets someone know you are thinking of them. It gives them something to look forward to in their mailbox besides a bunch of bills. Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas!
Denise
December 20th, 2011
9:21 am
I don’t do cards but I love receiving the ones with my friends and their kids’ pictures. Keeps me up to date on how the kids are growing, especially the ones I don’t see often or at all. I think it’s great. A friend of mine at work sends a Christmas letter on what her family did over the year. Love that too. I don’t have much to report nor do I have kids to report on so I don’t bother. None of my single friends send cards so I don’t feel bad but I honestly look forward to the photo cards.
JOD
December 20th, 2011
9:32 am
@Jeff – Too funny!
Christmas cards may be old-fashioned, but I love to get them, photo or otherwise. I’ve whittled down my list to just close family and friends, plus some family we just never get to see. We’ve done photo cards in the past, but this year I just sent regular cards with hand-written messages.
I love the cards that TWG’s friends made. They are really clever. Maybe next year we can try something like that.
One tradition we have is each year Hubs takes a picture of DD (originally she was sleeping under the tree, but she’s a little big for that now) and has a glass ornament made with the picture, her name, and the year. Each of the grandparents/great-parents gets one, and there’s one for my gift as well. They are a great way to look back on Christmases past. Although we will need a ‘DD Tree’ at some point :o)
Counting down to vacation tomorrow! Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah!
☺☻Have A Smile!
December 20th, 2011
9:50 am
Good for you, Jeff. :P
Techmom
December 20th, 2011
10:08 am
I send cards. My mom of course made the comment that I didn’t write anything on our cards this year (they were printed photo cards). I told her I didn’t have time and since I was going to see her on Christmas she should be thankful I used a stamp and didn’t hand deliver. Haha! I do like seeing our friends & extended family and their families. I did not send a letter this year. You want to keep up with us – get on Facebook!!
jarvis
December 20th, 2011
10:58 am
A good friend of mine is a single guy. He sends out a card every year of himself and an inflatable doll.
The scenes are pretty funny. Last year they were at the mall shopping together. It’s the only card I look forward to getting every year.
jarvis
December 20th, 2011
11:02 am
Tough love here….don’t send letters about your family. It’s fodder for people making fun of you.
motherjanegoose
December 20th, 2011
11:16 am
@ jarvis…folks make fun of me on this blog quite often and I am still here, after 5 years. So, I will hang in there with my Christmas letters. The folks who perhaps would make fun of me are thousands of miles away, so it would be too hard to hear them laugh at or about me. Thanks for the advice. I look forward to all cards, because it means someone thought of me enough to send one. That may be just me!
lakerat
December 20th, 2011
11:16 am
We send cards to mainly family and a few “old” friends – this will be the first year in about 27 years that we do not include a picture of the kids – they are both out of college and we decided it was time that we stop that “tradition” – my spouse wanted to send cards with pictures of just “us” – that was quickly squelched!
We always received comments from the “old” aunts that they so looked forward to receiving those cards – that is one of the difficult things about getting older, in that two of those aunts who were most appreciative of the cards passed away this year (ages 96 and 88!). Our list of recipeints has decreased to less than 25 now!
So, Merry Christmas to all who contribute to this blog, and all others, too.
Scooby
December 20th, 2011
11:27 am
I hate the picture cards. They are not Christmas cards. Christmas cards are supposed to have nativity scenes, cardinals, pine trees, glittler, etc. They’re supposed to be shiny and pretty, not a picture of you and your kids dressed alike in khakis and white shirts on your beach vacation. I also hate the family news letter.
What Is Face Book
December 20th, 2011
11:30 am
[...] What is your approach on the holiday card? – Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog) Families would try to make each other feel like crap sharing how great their year had been. I guess now people do that on Facebook. For a while the popular approach for holiday cards has been the photo card. We started sending photo cards when … Dec 20, 2011 2:31pm [...]
jarvis
December 20th, 2011
11:31 am
@Scooby, that is factually inaccurate.
Scooby
December 20th, 2011
11:33 am
@jarvis, whatever, still don’t like them.
jarvis
December 20th, 2011
11:34 am
@MJG, my mom’s cousin used to send out a family-letter card. We have not received one in well over a decade, and we still make fun of her letters.
My mom’s cousin’s note always sent out an air of self-importance. No one cared that Paul took up golf that year, and for her to think that anyone did care revealed how unaware she was of her place in our lives.
jarvis
December 20th, 2011
11:35 am
Scooby, I was just ball busting.
Mine wouldn't make you smile
December 20th, 2011
11:49 am
Don’t think friends and family want to hear of all our misadventures this year with our problem teen. Why ruin their Christmas with my families problems?
Denise
December 20th, 2011
11:52 am
@Jarvis – you are right about not really caring about the grown folks’ hobbies! I want to hear about the rugrats! I will probably hear about the grown folks during the year if they are that good of friends, right?
Ted Anthony
December 20th, 2011
12:11 pm
@Enemas for Easter, who said: “I think you are full of yourself if you send cards that are silly photos of yourself.” — If, as your words suggest, you equate having fun with being arrogant, how sad. I am happy to be considered full of myself if I can make the people I care about smile a bit along the way.
motherjanegoose
December 20th, 2011
12:12 pm
We just received a letter that included the fact that the adults ( HS and college friends) went Dave Ramsey and have paid everything off, including downsizing on their house. I looked at my husband and said, ” Good for them!” I am a newsy sort of person and love to hear about all sorts of things. Other friends have a daughter who went into the service and the Mom took a road trip to CA with her…they rode with the windows down the entire way. I loved it. I simply discard the things that are not interesting. That’s just me. A friend on Facebook is keeping others up to speed on their family cruise right now…cute pictures and good for them. I guess I just like to know people are enjoying their families!
What Is Face Book
December 20th, 2011
12:12 pm
[...] What is your approach on the holiday card? – Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog) Families would try to make each other feel like crap sharing how great their year had been. I guess now people do that on Facebook. For a while the popular approach for holiday cards has been the photo card. We started sending photo cards when … Dec 19, 2011 8:22pm [...]
Techmom
December 20th, 2011
12:16 pm
These are the kind of letters I like to get:http://peopleiwanttopunchinthethroat.blogspot.com/2011/12/holiday-greetings.html
ng4bama
December 20th, 2011
12:18 pm
Last year was the first time we send a Christmas card with a family picture. We had some made in conjunction with my son’s senior pictures. I love to send Christmas cards because it takes me down memory lane of all the wonderful people who have touched our lifes over the years. I send cards to three countries, and I think 5 states. Time consuming what so worth it.
jarvis
December 20th, 2011
12:20 pm
That’s very positive of you MJG. I would have said, who gives a shchlitz about them and Dave Ramsey and car rides with the windows down.
If it was “news”, I’d have already have known about it.
Penguinmom
December 20th, 2011
12:22 pm
I still try to send cards every year, especially to older relatives and friends of my parents. They enjoy seeing the kids as they grow up and like hearing what’s going on.
When the kids were younger (babies), I wrote our Christmas letter from their perspective. It went really well and made it less braggy. As they’ve gotten older, I’ve tried a couple of other approaches (last year was a poem) but this year we’re just doing a regular letter. My plan is to sit down tonight and knock out the ‘must sends’ (mainly those relatives without FB).
I still love getting Christmas cards. It is fun to see how the kids have grown and to find out more details about what it going on. Even though a lot of my friends are on FB they do not all post what is happening in their family so a Christmas letter is a nice yearly update.
Penguinmom
December 20th, 2011
12:24 pm
@ngbama – I love seeing how many states we are sending to. We’ve pared it down recently because of financial constraints (the postage alone can get pricey) but I still like keeping in touch with people we’ve met through the years.
Warrior Woman
December 20th, 2011
12:36 pm
I love Christmas cards! We send handmade cards every year with personal notes inside. There may be a family photo or snapshots of the kids included, but I don’t send the photo cards. I know this takes time, but to me it’s a fun way to periodically touch base with people we don’t see every week.
new mom
December 20th, 2011
1:14 pm
We always do cards. I had major knee surgery on dec. 1 but I still ordered our cards early (found an 80% code from southern savers), got 50 photo cards for $10 (even had our return address printed on the envelope) and just got it done. It’s a gesture that I hope doesn’t completely fade away, we love thinking about our friends and family as we address each card, and we really love receiving them.
One idea I read recently: once Christmas is over, you can punch holes in all of your photo cards and put a binder clip through them. Then you can stash them in your Christmas decorations and use them the following year to have on a coffee table, and enjoy seeing how your friends’ kids have grown over the years.
LM
December 20th, 2011
3:00 pm
I have a uncle and his wife who would send the yearly letter. Always in the third person, always included how many bushels of this and that, where they went, what a wonderful time they had visiting their son. It was a obnoxious brag letter and my Mom and I always made a joke of it.
Just got his letter this year and it was so depressing. He is almost 80, in bad health and it went on about his surgery and his wife having to change his dressings. Also mention the harvest was not good, that the weather was bad. Felt terrible after reading it.
I send some cards, about 30 total. Add a few and remove a few each year. Some I just sign, some I write a line or two.
Me
December 20th, 2011
3:25 pm
Wow — Since I don’t normally give a tinker’s damn about what my family does I also feel that they care not what we do, ergo, no cards from us. You would have to know my family to understand our feelings and I know of none upon whom I wish that displeasure.
motherjanegoose
December 20th, 2011
3:34 pm
@ Me…we spoke of this yesterday while in Montreal. Our family does not come to visit for the holidays, with the exception of my sister who lives in metro Atlanta. She is here for everything.
Anyway, I do care about my family but we got tired of always going to see them. Everyone else lives out of state. Closest being 400 miles away. We made the trip for years, when our kids were small but have not done it in at least 10 years now. Yesterday, we saw a little old grandpa with a long white beard who flew back with us from Montreal. Many missed their connections, due to mechanical issues. We asked where he was going…”Mexico…to see my son!” WOW…we made sure he was heading in the right direction to get on the hotel shuttle…showed him where. My husband said, “should we just give him a ride?” I thought that would be good but then we saw him at the shuttle bus and he looked like he was good with it. HOORAH for those who travel to see their families!
Techmom
December 20th, 2011
3:48 pm
This is the first time we’ve traveled for Christmas. My grandparents are in their 80s and are no longer snowbirds as their health is beginning to fail. We’re headed to their house for Christmas since we don’t know how much longer they’ll be around. I’m not looking forward to the holiday travel but hopefully it will be a relaxing week in the boondocks of Michigan (Brrrr).
Oh and just to tie it in to the topic, I sent cards to all the family members who we are going to see as well.
Sk8ing Momma
December 20th, 2011
3:51 pm
@ Mother Jane Goose – Here’s our letter from 2009. I still have to write ours for 2011.
A Anniversary: _____ and ____ celebrated their 15th on September 3.
B Bertha: The Avalanche my father gave ____ is affectionately known as Bertha. We drove Bertha on our 3-day cross-country trek from L.A. to Atlanta stopping to visit friends in Phoenix and Houston along the way…A memorable time was had by all!
C Charlotte: We took a quick Labor Day weekend trip to Charlotte, NC for one of ______’s soccer tourneys. Note: Artificial turf is NOT a good idea in 90+ degree weather.
D Double Digits: _____ turned 10! She celebrated in L.A. with _____ and her daughter, _____, at Fashionology. (www.fashionology.com)
E Electronic Reader: ____ loves her Kindle! Who knew an electronic reader could replace her beloved books?! (Thanks for the recommendation, ____!) Her fave read this year: Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell.
F Forty: ____ turned the Big 4-0! (She had a delayed mini celebration with ____ in Houston during her cross-country trek…It was a bonus getting to visit with Cindy and Robin, too!)
G Gatlinburg, TN: ____ and the kids joined some homeschool friends in a mountain chalet for a little R&R this summer…6 moms + 15 kids = 1 good time!
H Have books, will travel!: We’re in our ____th year of homeschooling. It remains a good fit for our family and we’re spoiled by the flexibility it affords!
I Intense! ______ completed P90X…What a workout…Whew!
J Jaunt: We took a quick 4-day trip to Orlando before we headed to L.A. If you think Shamu performs perfectly everyday, think again! We witnessed Shamu exit during the middle of his show to check out his female counterparts on the other side of the pool…Boys will be boys!
K _____’s new favorite toy! All of you scrapbookers and paper crafters will appreciate her new Cricut. Now, the only challenge is finding time to use it – sigh!
L Loaves of Love: _____’s seasonal baking business is alive and well. Pumpkin bread is her specialty. She’s quite the little baker and thoroughly enjoys it. Anyone have a good recipe you’d like to share?
M M_____’s _____: The kids continue their art, history, drama and music classes on ______ afternoons with other homeschoolers.
N New Office: _____ has new digs. He’s enjoying the nicer, larger space.
O Overnight Soccer Camp: _______ went to Rome, Georgia for her first overnight (3 nights) soccer camp. She was joined by several of her teammates. She loved it and looks forward to going again.
P Poppy!: Kendall and the kids headed to L.A. in February for an indefinite stay to care for _____’s father as he battled cancer. Poppy lost his battle on April 24. We are most grateful for the opportunity to go to L.A. and spend time with Poppy…Priceless!
Q Q – “What do I do with this Q?” …Overheard while playing Bananagrams. ______ and the kids learned to play while in L.A. If you’re looking for a new family-friendly game, check it out!
R R_____: He continues to be obsessed with all things military! He will talk your ears off regarding WWII and military hardware, particularly tanks and planes. The Military Channel is his favorite. A highlight was attending the grand opening of the National Infantry Museum at Fort Benning this summer where Colin Powell was the keynote speaker. (www.nationalinfantrymuseum.com)
S Sugar Marie Watkins: Sugar, a/k/a Shug Shug, is ______’s green cheek conure. Sugar is highly social and thinks that she’s a human member of the family.
T Tricks: R_____ is full of antics! One of his latest and greatest is jump roping while riding a pogo stick. Note to self: Don’t encourage any ideas seen on Ellen.
U Unicycles: Our troops (that would be ____ and _____) are still (long story!) working on learning to ride the unicycles they received for Christmas 2008. Hopefully, our circus clowns will be up and rolling sooner rather than later!
V Vikings: R_____ ventured into the world of tackle football with the Atlanta Vikings. The Vikings is an intense and highly competitive team in the ‘hood. It was baptism by fire! He earned a starting position on the defensive line and learned lots.
W Winning Catch!: R______ played 3rd base with the Yankees during our 3 months-stay in L.A. He earned a game ball by catching the final out to win the game…Go, R____! It was his first endeavor with kid-pitch baseball.
X Xs and Os: ____ is coaching ______’s rec basketball team…So far, so good! [Mom] thinks that [Husband] is having more fun than _______!
Y Youth Sports: ______ has concluded that the true character of a man (or woman ;)) can be judged on the field – or on the sideline. She’s seen the good, the bad and the ugly. Join her in praying that she doesn’t become one of those parents…You know the type! ;)
Z Zumba! ________ still loves Zumba…Check out http://www.zumba.com and join the party!
What Is Face Book
December 20th, 2011
5:02 pm
[...] What is your approach on the holiday card? – Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog) Families would try to make each other feel like crap sharing how great their year had been. I guess now people do that on Facebook. For a while the popular approach for holiday cards has been the photo card. We started sending photo cards when … Dec 20, 2011 9:11pm [...]
Jesse's Girl
December 20th, 2011
5:04 pm
Sams Club….150 photo cards for $30. Can’t beat it with a stick!
What Is Face Book
December 20th, 2011
5:57 pm
[...] What is your approach on the holiday card? – Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog) Families would try to make each other feel like crap sharing how great their year had been. I guess now people do that on Facebook. For a while the popular approach for holiday cards has been the photo card. We started sending photo cards when … Dec 20, 2011 8:43pm [...]
Penguinmom
December 20th, 2011
6:46 pm
@Sk8 – ABC’s are fun. I did ABC’s/numbers one year. It was fun coming up with something for each letter. Some letters can be quite challenging while others have way too many so you have to rearrange the sentence to make a different letter come first.
I know there are still people out there who appreciate Christmas cards and letters because I get comments at every family reunion from the older generation saying how much they enjoy the cards each year. As far as cost, I think of it as my gift to them each year. It doesn’t cost me a lot and it give those relatives a lot of joy.
Boring
December 20th, 2011
6:54 pm
Ska8- there is no way I could finish that letter. Way over the top IMO
jarvis
December 20th, 2011
7:42 pm
@Boring, I’m not going to call it boring. To each their own, but I think these types of sentiments are from a time in the past. With social media etc, we know what’s going on with the people we want to hear about, and we “block” those that we don’t.
For the record Ska8, I made it half way through Bertha.
motherjanegoose
December 20th, 2011
10:21 pm
@Ski8ing…loved it! We too love Bananagrams…it is a fun game. Do you play Monopoly Deal?
Now that was hard, at first, but I like it now!
There are plenty of people who are NOT on Facebook…I know this is hard to believe. Maybe it is simply more folks who are 50 or older ( my age). I love a nice photo or letter….just to know someone took the time to send it means a lot to me.
Enemas for Easter
December 20th, 2011
10:59 pm
motherjanegoose…..Do you ever shut up?
motherjanegoose
December 20th, 2011
11:11 pm
Only when I am sleeping…I do love to talk…you got that right today…hoorah for something positive in your corner!
Content
December 21st, 2011
12:13 am
I think it is sad that a person can’t share the good things that are happening without trying “to make each other feel like crap.” I like to hear about the things people go through, the good and the bad. This year, I graduated from college, and was fortunate enough to find a job that I absolutely love (teaching at a great elementary school.) I am very happy and proud, and I think that the people that I care about are happy and proud for me too. Why would it make a friend or family member feel like crap to read that (on facebook OR in a letter) I like my job and that things are going reasonably well for me right now?
homeschooler
December 21st, 2011
7:57 am
I think it’s a sad world when people bitch about sending or receiving Christmas Cards. I try to be creative with photos, poems etc. that show something about the particular year. Pics of the kids with a new puppy, poem about January thru December. I hope my cards will one day be a timeline my children’s childhoods. I love facebook for keeping up but there’s nothing quite like getting a card or a photo in the mail. I have to say I have gotten lazy the last few years and just ordered standard photo cards from Walmart. Picture taking, ordering, addressing and mailing took about 2.5 hrs total. It was 15 dollars for 30 cards. If that is too much time or money for you, so be it, but I know the people I care about appreciate it just as I look forward to getting cards from my friends and family.
Kat
December 21st, 2011
8:27 am
These people are have a great sense of humor! I love it.
My approach is simple, “Git ‘er done!”
Augusta
December 21st, 2011
8:31 am
I love that we don’t travel at the holidays. We stay home with the kids. If anyone wants to come over, that’s wonderful, but I am NOT going to disrupt my childrens’ Christmas in our home. We stay home Christmas Eve, all day Christmas, and the day after. Just the 6 of us…..Grandparents live close by and they come over Christmas morning to see the kids open all their presents. Then we all eat a huge breakfast, and just relax. We even leave the mess until the next day…..just enjoy and no stress!!!!
What Is Face Book
December 21st, 2011
8:58 am
[...] What is your approach on the holiday card? – Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog) Families would try to make each other feel like crap sharing how great their year had been. I guess now people do that on Facebook. For a while the popular approach for holiday cards has been the photo card. We started sending photo cards when … Dec 20, 2011 10:02pm [...]
What Is Face Book
December 21st, 2011
10:35 am
[...] What is your approach on the holiday card? – Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog) Families would try to make each other feel like crap sharing how great their year had been. I guess now people do that on Facebook. For a while the popular approach for holiday cards has been the photo card. We started sending photo cards when … Dec 20, 2011 12:47am [...]
motherjanegoose
December 21st, 2011
10:36 am
I read this on a teacher friend’s FACEBOOK…pretty much sums it up for me…glad to know him:
Writing Christmas cards is a happy chore. I find myself thinking of people I have known for years, some for my whole life. It is a blessing.
Merry Christmas to all my cyber friends on Momania. Lumps of coal to those who criticize most everything on here…haha.
What Is Face Book
December 21st, 2011
11:20 am
[...] What is your approach on the holiday card? – Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog) Families would try to make each other feel like crap sharing how great their year had been. I guess now people do that on Facebook. For a while the popular approach for holiday cards has been the photo card. We started sending photo cards when … Dec 21, 2011 2:08pm [...]
Augusta
December 21st, 2011
11:39 am
OK, we’re done. New topic please!!!
Theresa Walsh Giarrusso
December 21st, 2011
11:51 am
I am hosting a craft party today for my kids. I will probably post photos later. Sorry no new blog this morning.
motherjanegoose
December 21st, 2011
12:37 pm
This is the beauty of this BLOG, as far I know no one here is paying for a subscription. In kind, our expectations should match our monetary investment. Let’s give TWG some time with her family and if anyone else wants to come up with something…let’s can proceed.
motherjanegoose
December 21st, 2011
12:38 pm
oops we can proceed…sorry!
Deanna
December 21st, 2011
1:49 pm
I send cards, but I don’t receive many these days. I hate that, but understand. There’s so much to do, I know people just don’t have the time and energy.
Becky
December 21st, 2011
2:06 pm
@Deanna..Merry Christmas and Happy New Year..
Not a card, but hope that is ok..We get just about as many sent to us as we send out..I enjoy sending them and receiving them..Since I talk to most of my family weekly, that is the reason that none of us do a letter at Christmas..
crystal
December 21st, 2011
2:25 pm
Theresa gave us a new topic: What crafts are you doing with your family this Christmas?
What Is Face Book
December 21st, 2011
2:53 pm
[...] What is your approach on the holiday card? – Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog) Families would try to make each other feel like crap sharing how great their year had been. I guess now people do that on Facebook. For a while the popular approach for holiday cards has been the photo card. We started sending photo cards when … Dec 21, 2011 6:11pm [...]
Becky
December 21st, 2011
3:52 pm
@crystal..We painted Christmas figurines..That’s about it for us this year..
FCM
December 21st, 2011
3:54 pm
My (ex) In-laws do the photo collage from Walgreens. They upload their photos – usually the family(kids/grandkids) from summer–not the awkward beach shot, they now do an awkward Hawaiian (skirts on the men) shot–the family from last Christmas, and some others with various granchildren mixed in. I actually love seeing it, not just becuase my kids are in it, but seeing the cousins grow is so cool!
My cards did not get done this year. Last year they were they were a photo shoot one and very nice. This year I think I will do a New Year’s Card with some photos of our first vacation in 7 years (Universal Studios) and other fun moments.
The moments where Dad needed surgery, the car got crashed etc do not need to be a part of our New Year thoughts right?
FCM
December 21st, 2011
3:56 pm
MJG don’t give them coal! Some them are so hard ________ they would end up squeezing into a diamond!
What Is Face Book
December 21st, 2011
4:22 pm
[...] What is your approach on the holiday card? – Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog) Families would try to make each other feel like crap sharing how great their year had been. I guess now people do that on Facebook. For a while the popular approach for holiday cards has been the photo card. We started sending photo cards when … Dec 21, 2011 7:30pm [...]
What Is Face Book
December 21st, 2011
6:51 pm
[...] What is your approach on the holiday card? – Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog) Families would try to make each other feel like crap sharing how great their year had been. I guess now people do that on Facebook. For a while the popular approach for holiday cards has been the photo card. We started sending photo cards when … Dec 21, 2011 2:26am [...]
ssidawg
December 21st, 2011
10:19 pm
These cards are great! I like to send Christmas cards as a way to keep up with friends and family that I don’t get to stay in touch with over the course of the year. Photo cards are my favorite…they are a perfect way to see how fast the kids are growing from year to year. I keep all of the cards that people send to me. They are fun to look at each year when I pull out the Christmas decorations. Merry Christmas!!
Me
December 22nd, 2011
6:50 am
@MJG – I cannot speak for everyone but, yes, I do have a subscription to both the printed AJC and the new iPad app – unless, of course, you were speaking of paying for the blog itself.
Nonetheless, @TWG is free to post as many, or as few, blogs as she wishes and as time allows!
motherjanegoose
December 22nd, 2011
8:30 am
@ Me…I am speaking of the blog. Yes, I do subscribe to the AJC myself too! Merry Christmas!
wow
December 22nd, 2011
10:08 am
Can’t believe there still isn’t a new blog up. AJC needs to hire some help it seems.
Beth Klein
December 22nd, 2011
11:03 am
I never read the long braggy letter my “friends” send about their lives, children and travels. After having an especially difficult year with two of our children, I realize it’s not OK to be honest on Christmas cards, so I won’t be sending any…..
mom to four
December 23rd, 2011
6:17 pm
I send cards every year. I used to send the family picture, years ago before it became the fashionable thing to do. Now our oldest is in medical school so it is hard to get them all together for the picture.
I still send cards but I try to make sure the cards are unique and interesting. This year I bought pop-up cards from the Museum of Modern Art. I’ve had several friends comment how much they, and their children, love them. I consider the expense part of my Christmas present.
I also love to receive cards. We get 60-75 every year. I clip the cards to a garland around the door. The kids and I love to read them and “revisit” the cards every time a new one comes in the mail.
I also save the cards I receive. It is wonderful to see the pictures and how the children (and parents) age through the years.
The card ritual is so important to me that I see the expense and time as part of my Christmas present but I can see how it can be over-whelming.
Merry Christmas!
MA
December 23rd, 2011
7:18 pm
My mother sent the Christmas card photo from the time my oldest sister was born until she went to college. It was 17 years of photos of 11 children!! I started the tradition when my son was born and it has continued to this day. We have many friends and family who tell us they love them and look forward to seeing where we have taken the photos each year. I buy mine at Sam’s: 100 for $16.75. We used to send all 100, but, only sent 84 this year. Of the 84, 40 are family. We send to 2 other countries, 18 states, and 1 U.S. territory! It only takes me about 2 hours to do them all but I do cheat a bit and use address labels. It’s the thought that counts!! Merry Christmas y’all!
Jong Louvier
December 23rd, 2011
11:34 pm
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