Christmas Cards

Ah, the joys of playing Santa…working until the wee hours with nothing but fat-free milk and stale cookies to fortify you. 😛  My husband worked tonight, so I had to go it solo.  I tried to convince the kids (ie, Daniel, the 7-year-old) that Santa would prefer wine and cheese to milk and cookies, but he was skeptical and didn’t want to take chances on veering from the old standbys. 😉  Santa, however, managed to choke down only a few bites of cookie before cracking open a bottle of his favorite chardonnay. 🙂

Now that the Christmas present situation has been taken care of, I thought I’d come to offer a Christmas “thank you” to those who read my blog.  I am truly humbled that anyone reads my blog at all, and I do want everyone to know how much I appreciate the support, be it via comments or a “follow” or just a click on my home page now and again.  This blog isn’t anything spectacular, but it’s a way for me to chronicle not only my weight loss and running journey, but more importantly, my life’s journey, and to find that anyone else is willing to tag along for the ride just makes it that much more meaningful and special.

I mentioned in my last post that I was going to be busy doing my Christmas cards and thus would be taking a break from blogging.  It might seem like I’m over-dramatizing the effort I put into my Christmas cards, but you have to understand that when I say I’m “doing my Christmas cards,” I am actually making them–by hand!  You see, somehow, the year that Jamie was born, I got this crazy idea that instead of just putting a picture of my kid in a Christmas card, I should actually make a card that centered around the picture. (This was in 2002, before “photo cards” made on the Internet were a common thing.)  So that’s what I did!

I’m not a scrapbooker by any stretch (though I would happily pay someone to make them for me, since I love pictures and love history, which are the two key factors in all scrapbooks), but I managed to muddle my way through that first card with a picture I took myself and a little help from the ladies at the scrapbook store.  When Jamie was one, I did it again, but by the time he turned two, I knew I needed a more professional picture for my Christmas card, and that’s when I began using the photographer whom I now know and love.  Once I realized the value of a professional-quality portrait (which could actually feature the whole family, including me!), I was sold.  I let the pro take the picture, and I put all my efforts into making the card.  Or rather, the cards…80 of them, to be exact!  Yes, that’s right, 80 hand-made cards every year.  You can call me any form of crazy you want, but believe me, I’ve already heard it all. 😉  I just have a lot of people on my Christmas card list!

I made cards every year  until 2008, when I had a trifecta of challenges that included a longer commute to work, a new “job” managing a hockey team, and foot surgery.  This forced me to buy regular old Christmas cards for the first time in 6 years.  I still had the photos done, but I simply didn’t have time to hand make cards that year, so I shoved photos in a card like normal people do.  It still bugs me that I slacked off that year. 😛

Last year’s cards were another miss, in my opinion…because of the hockey schedules and a variety of other factors, I decided to try making an online photo card with my own pictures.  The pictures were okay, and the cards were passable, but after years of hand-made cards, I just wasn’t impressed or excited.  So this year, I was back to making 80 hand-made cards.  I used a different photographer this year, only because I have a friend who is starting out in her photography business who does fantastic work, and I was happy to help her build her portfolio.  Once I had the picture, I got some help from the lady at the scrapbook store in putting a design together, but I was really disappointed in her suggestions after I went home and started putting it all together.  For one thing, she miscalculated her measurements and didn’t sell me enough material! 🙁 So last Tuesday night, I stopped by Michael’s on the way to the hockey rink and then sat in the rink lobby while my boys practiced, putting together a prototype.  I was much happier with my new design, and somehow, I managed to get 80 cards done in 5 days, in between my full-time job, a parade, a cookie-making gathering, and all the hockey.  🙂

The cards are a lot of work, but I do love the feeling of pride and satisfaction I get when they’re all done.  Below is a sample of every card I’ve ever done.

 

 

They’re in chronological order, left to right, top to bottom.  You can see the two little photos with no card in the second row, which indicate the year I didn’t make cards.  You can also see the two Shutterfly cards I did last year in the third row.  This year’s card is at the bottom, and a close-up is show below.

 

 

I do believe I’ve gotten better each year.  I love this year’s card and am really happy with it, but I do think my 2010 card (the black and white one) is still my best work.

 

 

The best part of doing the cards is seeing how my family has changed and grown over the last 11 years, and having my own “artwork” to showcase those changes.

I hope you enjoyed seeing a little of the “Loud Redhead” family Christmas photo album, and that you and your family have a blessed holiday season.  Merry Christmas from my family to yours!