trading cards

I love love love Christmas cards. In this fast paced world of email, evites, texts and blogs, the least I can do is sit down at the kitchen table once a year and hand address envelopes for 85 of my closest friends and family...give or take a few. I have quite the system. I keep all of my address on an excel spreadsheet that I update throughout the year. Then once a year I print out the most current version. Next I sit down and address all of the envelopes, place stamp and return address label. Now insert photo cards with cute pictures of my kiddos on them. Before sealing the envelopes I set aside a few of the cards that I want to include little notes in. Double check on my list that I didn't miss anyone, and off they go. Now here's where it gets interesting; when I receive a Christmas card, I highlight the name on my printout. In theory, I would go through the last couple of years lists and delete people that are not returning the favor or we are no longer in touch with. But here's the BIG question: "are these people not sending cards at all or are they just not sending a card to us???" Seriously, did you know that someone could ever read this much into a simple gesture of holiday cheer? It's not necessarily that I don't want to be festive with said individuals anymore, it's just that I'm trying to avoid having a list of 300 people by only adding and never taking any away. Word of my system got out a few years back and now some people find it necessary to beg to be kept on the list. That wasn't my intention at all, to make my nearest and dearest feel threatened at the most wonderful time of the year. So, relax, you're still on the list, you made the cuts - at least for this year :)