My Magic Number of Cards

Today is 12.1.2.12.

This year the prediction for the Apocalypse comes from the Mayan Calendar and the date is set for the first day of Winter, I'm planning a party. Until then, I'm almost finished with my annual project of holiday cards. I can't say when this began, my daughters will always remember signing cards, much like I do.

We started sending family cards the year we were married. Now I send slightly more cards than I did wedding invitations. I think my holiday traditions are getting out of hand. My older daughter created lovely photo cards on the computer and I used a coupon sent by another Myalgia Mommy on Facebook. Ten cards were free and shipping was free.

This year has been an entertaining process. I misplaced my address book during our move.

I've been cold calling family and friends that haven't heard from me in years or only hear from me if there is a problem. It's an interesting reflection how many times I have said "really, we are all fine, I just need your address!"

One wonderful conversation I had was with my Uncle.

One teen summer I spent with him,  he sent me to sailing camp where I started collecting colored books with official certifications: CPR, lifeguard, red cross, whatever the YMCA camp offered a course in that I was old enough to take.

Eventually I almost followed my Grandmother, the public health nurse, when I obtained a Masters in Public Health. As I have previously mentioned, and the name Myalgia Mommies gives away, I am not able to pass the physical requirements to hold a first responder card anymore. I still do carry most of the supplies. Those of you who follow me on Facebook or Twitter know that for our new car, I now drive a police interceptor model so I have all the equipment to play along. I'm teasing my daughter that I am kinda a second responder.

That is the magic number of holiday cards that we send out. A few more than we would invite to our wedding and about the number that a first responder is responsible for.

I hope you get at least one card in the mail and it makes you smile. One of the many jobs I had to pay my way through college was that I was the mail clerk. I will never forget how happy a real letter or card in the mail made a homesick college freshman. As a mentor and Junior Resident Advisor my Sophmore year, I sometimes made notes and put them in people's boxes when they were having a bad week. In some ways I've always been a mom.

That's so touching I'm going to reward myself with tea and chocolate before I go look up more addresses on the internet. If I call you, I promise, the address book is probably in the box I am using as my nightstand. With the rest of my office supplies.

Happy Holidays.

Cheers,
ALJ