“The RoseBouquet”

How much effort do you put into preparing and sending out Christmas cards and letters?

For over 14 years I had what I referred to as my PenPal club. I wrote a long newsy letter to them each month, making the 15th my goal, and at Christmas, since I couldn’t afford to buy them gifts, or even the postage to send them all my home-made craft gifts, I took to going to extra effort with my Christmas cards and letters. It got to be a big production.

Since starting my online business, I’ve cut back considerably. This weekly RoseBouquet has replaced the monthly penpal letter, but I still want to keep in touch with my large circle of relatives and friends, so in December I whip up my Christmas story as a gift, and my long letter, and a card. Then I dash off personal notes in each one, and wrap them up in paper to make an envelope. The fact that I can put these online and just email friends with instructions to pick them up is a huge help.

BUT… there are still a goodly number of people who don’t have computers, or who hate email, and so I still prepare my “Christmas mail” and it still eats up time that is harder and harder to find.

Last weekend my brother Tom was in Emergency so we sat there all Saturday afternoon. In the evening I got the printer to cooperate again, and started printing cards and pages. Sunday had it’s own interruptions, and because I fell asleep at one job, I had to give up part of last night to do that over.

Today I am determined to sneak in all the minutes I can spare to get more of these printed and addressed, ready to mail as soon as the postage money miracle arrives. It always does, so I get ready as I can.

Because the mail going out some distance needs to be off very shortly to arrive before Christmas, I press harder on that first. When that’s done, I’ll start sending out the PDF version for my online friends with email.

Fortunately Dad and I don’t need a lot of decorations, or baking to make it “Christmas” for us. What little I do, I can put off until after the mailing deadlines.