Sending Christmas Letters

How about you, do you still send or give out Christmas cards and/or Christmas letters? Lots of people have given that up.

Well, as you may already have picked up, I'm a glutton for hard work. If it is a good idea, it is worth doing. I had always enjoyed buying some and making some of my gifts and cards during my London, Ontario era from 1971-1983.

But then I moved home to care for my parents. Without an income; (I was living by faith in God), I was forced to be more creative and to make everything I wanted to give - and I had to work with the odds and ends and my remnants to make any gifts and all the cards I was going to send away.

(I've tried to save at lest one copy of every card and letter I made and decorated back then; some day I'm going to go through all these bins, and see how big a scrapbook project that will be. I know I will have lots of surprises, as I've forgotten more of those ideas than I can recall).

All that to say that I still don't buy much in the way of gifts, I've given up on cards as a number of friends have confessed that they throw them out after New Year's Day, and giving up several days or a week or two of my business agenda to just focus on my Christmas projects... Nope. But I do still make a big December production out of writing a good letter, and including some photos, and maybe some original writing. But I do that all on my trusty computer.

I thought I had my Christmas letter all ready the other Sunday, but then found I was not going to get good print copies until I ordered another package of toner for the printer, and that only arrived yesterday. Meantime, I'd looked at my letter again and saw some ways to improve and add to it. So the delay was all for the good.

Meantime, I prepared and sent out small gift parcels to my siblings. They'll get my letter by email.

Anyway, yesterday afternoon I started printing out letters for my friends and relatives who do NOT have computers or emails. Canada Post wants such mail to be sent out by/on Dec. 13th. Which is today. So I hope to have the rest of those letters going out by snail mail done this afternoon and walked to the nearest mailbox on Ave. H.

Then I will start send out the rest by email. (That's about 40 or more). Since I often add a personal note,that may take me until Sunday night. Or, even until Christmas Eve.

My bedroom cactus, after a week of dripping with theses pink blossoms. (This shade of pink is my most favourite of many colours!)

The same cactus after a half turn so as to see all the new buds. Did you know that the best way to get a Christmas Cactus to have lots and lots of flowers is to let it sit near a cold window in winter? The chill triggers the creation of blooms! Once I see buds up against the window, I turn the plant so I can see the full-sized blooms in the room, and new buds can start next to the window.

The leaf-branches of two cactii up in the high east window each sent a leaf-stem through the screen mesh and grew a flower between the screen and window pain. I've hesitated to pull the plant away as it will ruin those flowers. This shot gave the best view of this.

The backyard garden is taking a winter holiday, but I do get to enjoy some indoor plants. Maybe another time I'll show you all the baby aloe vera plants I've potted. Rows upon rows! (These only bloom very rarely).

[Back to Archives Index ] ~~ [Back to Main RoseBouquet Page]