I have some pictures I will post below of Thanksgiving, but now it's Christmastime, seeing as Advent has begun and the Christmas tree is erected and decorated in true family form, and I want to post a couple of thoughts smooshing my brain. (These thoughts were already smooshing my brain, but thanks to awesome friend's blog post, they're at the forefront right at this moment.)
To send or not to send a Christmas card this year?
Every time I think about sending a Christmas card, I get tense, and I stress out...but I also really want to do it. Why? I'm not sure my motivations are sound. The stressers usually include: Do we even have money for this? But I love getting Christmas cards, and what if no one sends me one? (Note: poor motivation.) But I don't have time for that. I'll have to gather all those addresses (because I will NEVER have them in one place), and what if I miss someone, which I'll surely do, and do I send them to church friends, because there are so many, but they're my best friends, and do I find a picture we've already taken (is there one?!), or do I stress about getting a new one? Oh...WHEN am I going to get this done?!
Time. Out.
Do I even have to send a Christmas card? And if I do, does it HAVE to have a picture? The thought of not sending a Christmas card simultaneously makes me sad and relaxed. I just don't know. I DO want to send one, because it seems fun, and I haven't done it since the baby was born, but apparently it isn't fun for me? I do want to receive them from friends, but is that my motivation? And is that okay?
All to say, I would love your thoughts on the Christmas-card-sending experience.
Second: I am considering only giving candies as presents this year. (I would make them, of course. Every year we received these particular candies from our neighbors the Sights, and every year I couldn't wait until they arrived. They were and remain my favorite Chrismtas candy...and they're not really even a "Christmas" candy.) But as I sat and made my list of whom I would send them to, I couldn't help but worry that most people receiving them will be displeased not to have received a "real" present this year.
I'm certain this isn't the case...because that even looks ugly. There is no way my family, or Collin's, with maybe the exception of teenagers, will be upset receiving candies from us. But I keep worrying that they will.
JESUS SAYS NOT TO WORRY, MEGHAN. I know, I know. And I tell my husband this very truth often. I guess the tides have turned.
Oooooooh, side note...the bread in my bread machine is starting to smell gooooood.
Okay, that's enough for now. Here are the Thanksgiving pics. I was in charge of two types of potatoes, cranberry relish (which I forgot to add pecans to, oops!) and a pie. My first homemade pie crust. A semi-success. It needed lard.
Sweet girl with runny nose.
Candied "yams." (What is a yam?)
Nom nom nom...
Pie crust. (Collin every so kindly remarked, "Meghan, I believe this particular crimped area doesn't look as well crimped as the rest," then smirked when I gasped. I was a woman on the edge. Good thing he was kidding.)
2 comments:
Meggo. I have to agree with you on cards. Although they seem like a frivolous expense, I can't not send them. I think I skipped them 2 years ago, and I kind of still regret it! I was thinking, though, what if you sent out an e-christmas card? Use a few recent pics, or none at all, whatever you want, but it'll be so much cheaper and surely you have a bunch of people's email addresses? Just a thought! BTW, I'm sending some out this year, and I'm pretty sure you guys have moved. Want to email your new address? Thanks!!
I love this post...you are so funny. And I am totally with you on the Christmas card thing. We didn't send out birth announcements for Lourdyn OR Christmas cards her first Christmas and I regretted it SO much (still do) that I swore that I would do them every year after that even if it stressed me out. Why? Why do we do this to ourselves??!! Haha! On the bright side, I figured out that if I start thinking about the Christmas card in October it really doesn't stress me out as much.
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