carded

I order 100 Christmas cards each and every year. That's a lot, right? I'm very, very popular.

.

To keep track of all my intended recipients, I keep a file with 3 pages of mailing labels on my hard drive. This is my go-to list for the annual mailing, and I update the 90 entries as needed throughout each year and then when the time comes, I print and adhere them to the annual card. If you're a math whiz, you've already figured out that I have a few cards left over. An extra one goes to Mom so she can display her gorgeous grandchildren both at home and at work, another one comes to my office so I can display my gorgeous children at work, one more goes into the archives, and I still have a few on hand just in case I make any new friends. This should work out fine - after all, I’m old - how many new friends can I really expect to make each year?

This year, however, something changed. I blame Facebook. I’ve reconnected with so many of my old friends, and so many cousins! I wondered if I would need to increase my card order to make certain that at the very least, I could reciprocate with everyone who sends me a card this year. But I like my 100, it's such a sturdy, well rounded number. I got to wondering, just who are those 90 people on my recipient list? I took a closer, completely biased look:

Had she sent me a card last year? Didn’t this one get returned to me in last year’s mail? Do I even like this person? Is that guy card-worthy? It’s not exactly the epitome of the Christmas spirit, but times are tough, people. It’s time to whittle down this mailing list.

So here’s what I did: I pulled out the envelopes that had come back to me in last year’s mail and cut and pasted the corresponding addresses from my three page list to a new fourth page of labels. I made an effort to update those addresses – in one case, a card had already arrived from one of the households who so tragically went without one from my family last year! If the issue could be thus resolved, that address moved triumphantly back to its rightful place on the winner’s list active page. Next, I went through and highlighted the addresses from whence I do not necessarily recall getting a card in recent years. These reprobates were also moved to purgatory that fourth page. Likewise, I levied those contacts who had grown tenuous or who had enjoyed flash in the pan popularity after a particularly entertaining meet up or a period of increased communications. Some of these were boldly deleted. Most were pasted into what I now refer to as my probationary address page. They are officially on notice, but not yet obliterated. I'm not that ruthless, I've got a heart - it's Christmas!

.

So the jury’s out, and we’ll just have to wait and see what the mail brings.

.

I’ve got six cards left.