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Christmas cards started rolling in right after Thanksgiving.

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Lovingly selected and filled with handwritten sentiments of holiday cheer from friends and family scattered across the country, continent and globe.

For some of the cards we receive, it’s the only time of year we’re in contact with the sender. An annual what’s up! and long distance wave.

In an era of instant digital communication, I look forward to this tradition of old school well wishes.

And then, there are these:

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I can hear your snorts of annoyance… but please, a moment.

While I’d love to receive a current picture of you and your family in a Christmas card, I’m not a fan of the photo card in general.

Preprinted holiday greetings with no explanation of whose grandchild is who, why you’re embracing an iguana in a tropical rain forest or who the strange man with the lightning bolt tattoos hovering in the background might be. There’s no handwritten note, no unique flourished signature and Hell, a lot of people even print out their address labels.

You can hate me, but I find them impersonal.

*Disclaimer- to each his own and if you’ve included me on your list and sent me a photo card? I sincerely appreciate the thought and would rather receive one of them than nothing… it’s just my opinion*

So as you curse me for being rude and ungrateful, imagine this –

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Me. Chained to the table for days, hand cramping from writing and addressing cards and envelopes, A through H completed and rubber banded… hoping I can still my flex my fingers by Christmas Day.

🥴

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