Tis the Season

In November, I started the process of agonizing over the Christmas card. Each year, I try to do something fun and creative that tops the previous year. It’s getting harder and harder to do that. But, inspiration can come in the strangest forms. I was playing Memory one day with Dessie when I had the thought, “It would be so much fun to make memory cards of all of our extended family members.” Somehow it snowballed into this year’s card, which became a 20-square match and memory game board of our family 2013 highlights. I was still able to work in my cartoon magic along with a few darling pictures. It required the effort of a perforator, but it was worth it! Also, there were absolutely no squabbles over this year’s card even though I used all the family members' help in stamping, licking and addressing the cards.

The Final Draft

1 Perforator $50.00
1 New Blade $6.00
500-sheet pack of white cardstock $6.00
5 packs of 50-count green envelopes $15.00
1 pack of Avery labels $7.00
250 Christmas stamps $115.00
250 double-sided pictures $35.00
3 slave laborers to fold, lick and stamp(Free)
Being Completed with the Card: Priceless!

You've Got Mail!
Even though the process of putting out my own card sometimes feels exhausting and not worth the effort, all of those feelings melt away when I start receiving Christmas cards in the mail. I can spend hours pouring over Christmas cards and getting the update on families that live far away but very close to our hearts. I love it! It is a great way to keep in touch.

Gifts

Each year, we put together packages of treats or a gift for our friends and neighbors. For the people we home and visit teach, we passed out Caffeine-free Dr. Pepper and coconut syrup to make ‘Dirty Dr. Peppers.’ This has come to be a favorite treat for our family that we picked up while on vacation this summer in St. George. For our neighbors and friends, we passed around gift tags with a cute poem and the added bonus of chocolate peppermint homemade oreo cookies. I love turning the kitchen into a workshop and teaching my girls a little about service, love and generosity. Sometimes we spend a lot of time thinking about what we want, so it is nice to consider what we want to give. Stephen always jokes, “So we are making cookies for all of mankind. Are there any left for me?” Generally, I say, “No.”