The Death of Christmas Cards

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Either we're being shunned or there is a serious lack of holiday cards being mailed out this year. It's December 10th and we've received but one lonely card from an aunt and uncle of Blair's. Usually by this time of year we have a good 10-20 cards lining the mantle. Sure, the flood of cards usually comes in the last days immediately preceding Christmas when it finally dawns on everyone that the clock is running out but still... one card? 

I have no room to talk. We have yet to compose let alone mail out our annual holiday letter. I say "we" but the holiday letter is my responsibility. Frankly, I'm toying with the idea of skipping it. This, however, sets a dangerous precedent. It's like exercise. All it takes is one missed workout for the whole system to collapse. Skipping the letter one year and having the world not come to a screeching halt might open my eyes to the fact that I could get away with skipping it a second year, and a third, and then it's just one moral bus stop away from the ultimate in lameness, the holiday e-card. 

Maybe the decline in mailed Christmas cards is due to social networking. Since we've spent the entire year twittering, facebooking, and blogging about our lives, do we really need to sum it up for everyone again in a holiday letter? 

Maybe. For all my Grinch-like tendencies--no gift-giving, I whine about putting the tree up and decorating the house, sugar cookies are still a fattening non-no even when presented in cute Santa-like shapes--I'm still a traditionalist at heart. And tradition demands a holiday letter. 

All right, I've convinced myself. I'm writing and sending out letters this weekend. All I need to do is flip through our calendar to see what happened this year, buy cute holiday paper to print the letter on, buy holiday cards, stamps, and hand address every envelope b/c I've been too lazy to enter our address book into Excel. (I knew that would come back to haunt me.) 

Freaking out because you don't have the Harris holiday letter yet? Fear not! It's on it's way. 

I think.

Cheers,

Dena