| View Blog
|
|
| Happy Holidays, may I be the first to say it
|
|
|
Does anyone else besides me feel anxious when those first holidays greetings
start arriving the day after Thanksgiving?
All my past Christmas card failures flash before me!
I have to put down the turkey leg and start making a to do list!
because a handful of goodie two shoes have already mailed their cards
and they are sitting on my counter glaring at me
along with the rest of the dishes I havent gotten around to washing
from Thanksgiving Day
Those embossed envelopes were probably ready weeks before just waiting to get the jump on the rest of us! Chances are these same folks book vacations a year in advance and have all of their shopping done
and everything is wrapped and their cookies are already made and waiting in the freezer
and their decorations are up and flashing without blowing fuses on the outside and the inside of their homes!
Once, I braved the day after Christmas crowd
to purchase discounted cards.
I'd shock everyone and show the world that I could be a member of that elite group of organized people
and have everything done early and be able to sit back and enjoy the month of December.
I was so proud of myself until I was unable to find my ½ priced bargains a year later.
I remembered putting them in a safe place but unfortunately,
that is where my memory faded.
Thankfully a few weeks after the birth of the Christ Child,
they were finally located.
This Irish Catholic sent belated greetings to family and friends that said,
"Happy Hanukah."
I guess in that mad after christmas crunch I was unable to read the fine print
A year later, a mistake at the printer was to blame for that Christmas Card fiasco.
"PEACE ON EARTH, Love, the Grants"
was sent to all our nearest and dearests
only our last name is
Snyder.
I consoled myself with the knowledge that most people only look at the picture.
I sent them anyway
no one noticed
we made it to a bunch of refridgerators that year with the wrong sir name
which
was very similiar to the year I sent out a couple of hundred cards with the wrong spelling of our last name
no one noticed that either
Every year I vow to put my Christmas card list in order.
so I dont have to hire a private dectective agency to help me with the addresses.
Looking for them long after the decorations have been stored,
is more my usual routine.
before I forget
why do people assume you have an address book
please
include your return addresses people
This whole process takes forever
and since I insist upon writing a personal note on each and every one.
The completed pile goes out in the mail with a tremendous sigh of releif
but the good feeling never lasts long
because the much larger
other incomplete pile
is stored somewhere to get it out of the way,
I am always so sick of looking at them
and moving the darn cards from one place to another the entire month of december
I end up burrying the sentimental,
from the heart
notes somewhere?
I figure by Valentines Day,
I might have all of them completed
but
I finally give up and put the homeless cards back in the attic,
abandoned,
until the following year.
and every single year when I see those envelopes when Im dragging out the decorations,
I feel like such a looser
Someday I'll send those old seasons greetings
accompanied by the outdated pictures and friendly notes
and confuse everyone!
lets discuss photo wardrobe
What to wear in the photo is always a challenge.
Black velvet outfits have been repeated more often than not,
second only to the Christmas sweaters.
We tried matching black turtlenecks and khakis,
winter jackets and Santa hats,
and standing by the tree holding stockings in our Pajamas
and
jumping up and down in our christmas vests holding wrapping paper.
or swinging on the swings
Even the family vacation became the theme one holiday.
My little darlings were wearing bathing suits,
carrying Styrofoam noodles spelling,
"JOY TO THE WORLD."
1998 was the year I chose denim.
My husband and I were in the picture for the first time in years
due to the purchase of a pair of jeans that made me look thin.
We drove to one of those studio chains in a nearby mall in August!
We formed a pyramid.
The caption was supposed to read,
HERE IS A LITTLE CHEER,
TO LAST THROUGHOUT THE YEAR!
It was a brilliant idea,
but one week before Christmas
I was devastated to learn that the negative was lost.
We were offered a free retake
but there was absolutely no way
I was ever going to get my husband
on all fours
in front of a group of people
at a shopping center
ever again!
we tried that pyramid idea more than once
thats another story
Joe and I are only in the picture if we look really good,
or should I say
if I look really good
and
I do not consult anyone else
none of them do any of the work
why should I?
ask their advice
besides they give it to me regardless
another story
who cares about the kids
they always look good
Joe and I dont make it in very often
another story
My TURN OF THE CENTURY
inspiration was,
"ABOUT FACE, FORWARD MARCH,
INTO THE NEW MILLENNIUM!"
The Sunday after Thanksgiving, I told the kids they were under house arrest.
No one was going anywhere until we had our family Christmas card.
This tradition fills our home with dread.
Tears, threats and frustration are the norm.
We informed our offspring
if they did not co-operate,
smile
and
look happy,
they would not live long enough to see the year 2000.
When the film was finally developed,
there was not a single shot of everyone facing in the same direction.
Someone always had their eyes closed or was crying.
All the negatives look so much alike that I was cross-eyed trying to find a good one.
300 copies were made of a horizontal picture.
Unfortunately, the cards I ordered were vertical.
The year my brother got married was definitely going to be a winner.
I felt smug all summer knowing I had my Christmas card in the bag.
My 47-year-old brother was getting married in September,
for the first time
and all 6 of us were in the wedding.
I'm not sure if I was more excited about the marriage
or the fact that I'd have a great family portrait!
I smiled while doing the girls hair,
listening to them whine and complain that the rollers were too hot.
I kept my cool while searching for my sons missing shoes,
knowing it was going to be well worth the effort.
None of the usual chaos
of picture day
ruined my positive attitude.
Inconceivably,
we managed to go the entire night without taking one family photograph with the 6 of us.
How did I let that happen?
maybe I was a bit preoccupied
because
I was wearing the same dress as the mother of the bride?
see post
my brothers wedding in october archive
another story
one year
all the girls and I wore the same skirt
and we stood in a line by the stairs
in order of height
I have a zillion
standing in a line by the stairs christmas pictures
only I am the smallest person in the family now
so I have a new spot in the line up
and how did that happen
actually
the last few years
although I took the pictures
wrote nice notes in all the cards
bought the stamps
I never ended up mailing them
I can't really remember why at the moment
but when I was looking for addresses for my daughters wedding,
I found all the cards that were addressed from the last two years,
so they came in handy
last year
I think I just couldnt decide which picture to use
we had one
with all of us sitting in one big bed
it said
happy holidays
life is a bed of roses
and another
2007
lets get the show on the road
and we were all sitting in a movie theater eating popcorn
and the third one was
joy to the world
happy holidays
we are jumping for joy
another story
but this year
since Nicole and Wes were married in Sept
I was not in the least bit concerned
there was no way we were going to blow this christmas photo op!
and guess what
the picture we love the best
the one where Joe and I look pretty darn good
is missing one little thing
one small detail
our new son in law
Wes
the new groom
is not in it
oh well
back to the drawing board
but
dont hold your breath
maybe
I should just wish
everyone
a happy holiday
right now
just in lower case
|
|
Posted by roe on 2007-11-20 17:15:40 | Rating: | Views: 144
|
|
| |
|
|
| Blog Comments
|
|
|
|
|
I can 'see' it all just as you write it too. "Yay" for Christmas traditions..!! :p lol
|
|
Posted by scotslad60
on 2007-11-21 08:14:55
|
|
|
|
guys
scotslad, wayne, pauligan, benventure, ben and ryan, and the canadian dynamic duo, would one of you volunteer to assist me for the 50th time here, Im a slow learner...how do I post a picture with my story...I would love to share those christmas shots, the ones I described in this post, if it doesnt take me till next year to do?
and if you made it to the bottom of this post, you win ,,,something...?
|
|
Posted by roe
on 2007-11-21 13:28:26
|
|
|
|
|
we actually used to be good at sending out christmas cards... what happened???
|
|
Posted by blueeyed24
on 2007-11-25 13:23:43
|
|
|
|
|
|
Email This to a Friend 
