I emptied the saddlebags where the Christmas Cards are stored. I read them again. Seemed like a fine thing to do as a fine mist fell outside. It was too warm to snow.
There were 30 photo cards.
51 Cards
31 letters, some hand written. Many of the cards had notes inside...some people send just Christmas letters or photos.
There were 5 handmade cards
Very talented folks.
There was one beautiful long fold out card.
A piece of art that tells a story every year. The picture is painted and then made into a card!
I double checked the list. We sent out 140 cards and heard back from 91 people. A Christmas Greeting is a wonderful way to reach out to long time friends and to family. Besides that Far Guy loves getting the mail in December!
I used to keep all the cards and letters...then I had a whole file cabinet full. Now I keep many of the photos...it is fun to compare them from year to year...and I keep a number of the letters especially those from family that tell about their year. I keep a few special cards. I keep everything in three ring binders. I ordered some special page protectors that will store four 5 x 7 photographs and when they get here I will put everything away. Another paper project for later in the week.
We ventured out to the transfer station with our every three weeks of garbage. The price went up it now costs $4 for a big garbage can. I wave the money out the window ...the fellow grabs it and Far Guy and I unload and drive away. Easy peasy. It used to cost $3.50 so it went up by 14% the first of the year.
Far Side
You don't have garbage pickup? Even when I lived out on the farm they would pick up. The hard part was getting it out to the road in the winter though the snow so maybe your method is easier and less expensive.
ReplyDeleteI think it is wonderful that you send and receive so many cards. They are beautiful and I save mine too but I don't have as many as you do.
That's a steal for emptying garbage... only $4 for a large can. We still pay for weekly curbside pickup of a most-of-the-time half full 72 gallon can. I just looked in my checkbook register and I paid $175 for a year's worth of service. That's a horrible price compared to yours. I wonder if we have any sort of bring-it-yourself place around here. I'm not so sure hubby would go for it anyway. :-/ You got a good return on your Christmas cards! I don't have that many friends or family anymore, to be able to send out as many cards as you do. I sent out about 24 this past Christmas and didn't even get half that back. I remember a time in my adult life when we'd sometimes get half a dozen cards in one day's mail delivery. I miss those days. ~Andrea xoxo
ReplyDeleteI love all the beautiful cards and sure sounds like you are nice and organized. Have a great Sunday :)
ReplyDeleteI save Christmas photos from family and friends, too. I send out a holiday newsletter by email and snail mail. Great tradition!
ReplyDeleteAhhh, so you like mail too! My Aunt loved writing letters and before her, it was my Grandmother. I used to write to them often.
ReplyDeleteReal handwritten letters are still wonderful. Charlie 'writes' to some boys in Missouri and they write him back!
Photos, letters and hand made cards re so much better than Hallmark cards. Although, when I was little I so loved the cards with glitter and sparkly snow, they just seemed magical.
ReplyDeleteI have saved many years of Christmas cards and letters too. But I really do need to go through them like you and only save the important things.
ReplyDeleteNot only am I amazed at the number of cards you send out, but the number you receive. I sent about a dozen cards a year for many years, and only ever received one or two in return. This year, one friend sent her Christmas letter via Facebook Messenger. My brother does his via e-mail usually around mid-February. :p
ReplyDeleteTake care, stay well!
We have always done photo cards or a letter and sometimes both. My husband is from a different state and when the kids were little, it was a way to share our family without Facebook lol. When we switched to letters only, we had some complaints! I do send many more than what we receive, but I hear from people that they enjoy the photo cards whether they send cards or not. For the past twelve years our cards have featured grandchildren who are starting to revolt at the costumed shoots I come up with. This year I was left with no photos since we have all been distancing. I decided to do a throwback with five photos from the 70's and 80's.
ReplyDeleteThese are just beautiful!!
ReplyDeleteI went through my Christmas cards a week or so ago, reread everything, and then discarded everything. I used to keep family photos, punched in one corner and kept on a binder ring with the year marked on them. I found, however, that I didn't go back and look at them, so I have stopped doing that. Someday my children will thank me. I already save too much.
ReplyDeleteLike you, I used to save all of our Christmas cards and letters. After our move to Washington I changed my method. As they arrive I hang them on a "clothline" I made from twine and mini clothespins. Mid January I take them all down and re-read them all. This year I decided that several were to beautiful to just throw away. Yours is one. It sits on the TV stand where I can see it often. Two others I have kept and will frame for decor as they are beautiful photos. The others I used a punch that made gift tags out of the pretty pictures on the front. Then I will punch a hole for a ribbon to tie them on or just use tape. Seems a great way to recyle the cards.
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Betsy
I had to stop saving them all, too, because I had no room for boxes of cards. I also save pictures and certain letters & cards, though, and I go through them all a few times over the holidays. I do love getting all the Christmas mail--like FarGuy. :)
ReplyDeleteWhen we lived in the country in Wisconsin over 30 years ago and had to make trips to the dump there was no one there and you threw your trash over the side of an embankment and hoped there were no bears around.
I keep my cards too and I'm not sure how many I sent out this year, I ran out and sent "old cards" that I had bought last year.
ReplyDeleteBut this year, when I got one from complete strangers, my curiosity was sparked. Apparently a family has been receiving my cards for the last 10 years that were intended for the previous family that lived in their house, and I never updated the address in my address book (in my hometown in Kentucky!) and they sent me a card telling me how much they enjoy my cards that always include a photo of my dogs... A DECADE?!?! So glad they wrote to inform me of my error.🤣 I guess I will write them back to say THANK YOU and will continue sending them Christmas cards. 😊🤣
So many beautiful cards, especially the handmade ones! You are blessed with many wonderful friends and family!
ReplyDeleteI have a lot of Christmas cards from past years. I need to sort through them. I like to look at them and remember the people who send them. I also keep letters from my sisters. I think I have one letter from my brother. He is not much of a letter writer...or card sender.
ReplyDeleteI only keep a few cards if they are particularly nice or sentimental for me
ReplyDeleteI think you receive more Christmas cards than anyone else I know of!!!
ReplyDeleteI hate throwing away any cards but I do force myself to do so. There are exceptions. One far-away friend and I exchange the same cards ( Xmas, Easter, birthday..)just writing new words in them until they are too full to find a spot. It's great to see how our lives have changed thru' the years.
So many cards and good wishes! I always read ours once more after Christmas, too. I didn’t count but the number we send and receive doesn’t come anywhere close to yours.
ReplyDeleteI love to receive cards and letters but am terrible about sending them. The few I received this year are still displayed. :-)
ReplyDeleteYes, I did that cleaning out project of the Christmas cards last week.....always so fun to read them again and look at them. I do love the tradition of Christmas cards. Thank you again for your beautiful handmade card....always one of my very favorites!
ReplyDeleteYou got lots of pretty cards. I recognize Cynthia's hand made card with the little bird. It's a sweet little card. And I love the card you made. I have a box in the shed with Christmas cards from every Christmas since 1998.
ReplyDeleteLook at all those cards!
ReplyDeleteI finally took my cards down the other day. I love getting Christmas cards, too! Yours was one of the saved ones, of course :-).
ReplyDelete