THE CHRISTMAS CARD

(Had to insert the Capitol Records Christmas tree - it's a favorite LA holiday image of mine)

I love greeting cards, and one of my favorite things about the holidays is the exchange of Christmas cards. I've been making my own since my junior year in college (and I'm pretty sure that staying up all night individually coloring the cards was why I nodded off during my Physics 101 final). I always figured could never give every single one of my friends a gift - but at the very least I could - once a year - send a unique holiday card to let them all know I was thinking of them. I (stressfully) enjoy trying to come up with a card design every year - dragging out my paper cutter - getting envelopes and stamps - and getting them addressed and out on time. This year I barely made it - but it would seem most got them by today (guess the USPS kicked ass!). But here's the thing, with the advent of digital cameras and computer imagery, it seems like I am getting more "letters" and photos than actual cards now-a-days and it frankly bums me out a little. Is sending out an actual Christmas card becoming extinct? I see stacks of cards in stores, but is anyone buying them? I got some great cards this year, and I string them up in my living room as a kind of decoration - but this year I think I have an almost equal stack of photos and letters.

Well, as with every gesture, it's always the thought that counts, and I am grateful for ANY and ALL good thoughts sent my way, Chirstmas and otherwise. Maybe fashion and style will take a hand in this and the card will make a comeback in the years to come. In the meantime, I'll still happily stress about what to come up with every year for mine.

MERRY CHRISTMAS, EVERYONE!