Holiday Mail

There's something so nice about holiday mail.... but, I think a few themes emerge --

The long lost friend card-- Everyone has those people that they just can't manage to keep in touch with during the year, and they use the holidays as an opportunity (excuse) to reach out to them -- find out what they've been doing since last year, even though there is a certain level of certainty that you won't be speaking to them again 'til next year at this time, you still look forward to the correspondence and the insincere promises to do better at keeping in touch

The mended fence card -- You had a bit of a falling out with a good friend/relative/neighbor.... the holidays are a perfect time to get in touch and act like nothing ever happened -- this is probably the only time of year where such a tactic would work.

The Oh shit, THEY sent me a card?!?!?! card -- You know, the people you completely forgot to send a card to (or you didn't think you had to send a card to)....

There are a few courses of corrective action that can be employed here (you see this phenomenon in gift-giving as well). If the card comes early in the season.... (first or second week of December) you can easily pop a card in the mail to them.... they'll just think you are a later-card-sender than they are or that the cards simply passed each other in the mail.

If the card comes Christmas week.... you need to make a choice -- either you send them a card, or you don't.

If you opt to send them a card, it almost looks like you are trying to cover up the fact that you forgot/didn't care enough to send them one to begin with.

If you don't send them a card.... you are just kind of telling them flat out -- "I don't like you enough to send you a card, and you should feel pretty stupid for sending me one". Or maybe you are saying "I messed up and I respect you too much to send you a card this late, but you bet your ass that I'll be sending you one before you get the chance to send me one next year."

Now, don't think you are in this alone - as the unrequited card sender needs to make a choice too.... do they send you a card next year even though you didn't send one to them this year?

If they do, it's kind of pathetic.... nobody likes a one-way card. BUT if they don't send one, it's equally pathetic as.... what kind of big baby stops sending cards just because they didn't get one back? And what if they didn't send one last year, but because you sent one to them last year, they send one to you this year and you didn't send one to them...... hmmmmm, something to ponder.

One year I was just obscenely unorganized.... so I skipped Christmas cards all together -- instead, I opted to send everyone I have ever met a St. Patrick's Day card -- it made sense at the time -- there are some striking parallels between the holidays.... the prominence of the color green, there is the fantastic focus on alcohol and how different are the Christmas Tree and the Four Leaf Clover anyway, huh?

Holiday Viewing Guide:
PBS
9:00 Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir
10:00 A St. Olaf Christmas in Norway
Lifetime
7:00 Deck the Halls
9:00 Holiday Affair
FoodNetwork
8:00 AllStar Holiday Party
ABC Family
7:00 Jack Frost
8:00 A Very Brady Christmas
10:00 A Very Brady Christmas