It always bugged me. It screamed of trying to ‘keep up with the Joneses’ and of self-importance. But therein lies how different my mom and I are.

I’d love to get really creative, beautiful Christmas card photos. Like if you had some awesome candid of Bridget laughing, and not necessarily posed, etc…that would be so cool. I love it when people get creative about the CHristmas thing. Unfortunately, most people (including me!) just don’t have time to put out such cards.

I, too, hate the letters.

Then there’s the card with picture from our friends in Chicago. “Here’s us on our yacht in Australia! We had to leave early so I could get to Cancun for my photo session (she’s a model).”

Is there such a thing as a scrooge card? I want that.

I have another one for you that I think is bad manners. People who never spell your name right. I don’t mean people you just met who are unsure if your name is Shelly or Shelley, that I don’t mind. But it’s friends you have known for awhile. Or worse, relatives that continually spell the name wrong. For example, I have been with my Hubby for nearly 6 years and some members of my family continue to spell his name “Hubbie” rather than “Hubby” even though I know they know better. I get the same thing with my name and neither one of us has a particularly creative name.

I have three different friends who have daughters named Cayley, each spelled differently, and I very purposely make note of how the child’s name is spelled so I don’t mess it up. It is not that difficult. As you know, we chose to spell Peanut’s name a bit differently (though not some totally unheard of spelling) and I would say that at least 25% of her birthday cards had her name spelled wrong. Am I being oversensitive b/c it irritates the crap out of me.

HOWEVER: almost every single one of them is hilarious. My mother is good friends with a family of writers in CA (who have Cheers, Taxi, Frasier, Golden Girls, etc. credits on their resumes), so you can imagine those Christmas letters. They’re the highlight of Christmas Card Season for me. My father also writes a funny one for our family, which devotes a single sentence to each family member, and three full paragraphs to the dog. Not kidding.

I think as long as you inject some heartfelt feeling into what you’re doing, it comes off well.

I, too, wish people would burn those pre-printed photo cards. Hideous.

Personally I like to write individual letters or at least a note or two.

I hate it when cards have no personal words or even a signature! But I do love getting mail of all sorts so I am happy to receive them, nevertheless.

I HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATE photo Christmas cards. Maybe part of it is all those years as a bitter infertile, but seriously, I can’t stand them. I actually sign my Christmas cards. Sloppy handwriting and all. And one year, I thought about a Christmas letter, and then I slapped myself hard for even entertaining such a thought.