After a fun day and a late evening practicing with the church Bell Choir for Christmas Day, I'm getting some Christmas things done around the homestead while listening to Christmas music. Nothing involving Santa's and Grinches and Red Nosed anything, but traditional Christmas music as we sang in church. There are still a couple of them I can sing in Norwegian (but then the cats start to gather on the porch. . . )
I like a traditional Christmas. Not long ago, someone I knew professionally invited me over to their house for Christmas Eve and Day as I didn't really have any plans and I didn't have any family in that part of the country and being new on the job I didn't have leave or money to fly out West for the holidays. There was no music, the plastic tree was put up on Christmas Eve and the kid's presents were ripped open on Christmas Eve in a flurry of paper without as much as a thank you while the adults just had snacks and drank. Christmas day was non stop video games after more presents from Santa. No church, no Christmas Carols, no candles, no special dinner, nothing.
I appreciated the invite but it felt no more like Christmas than July 3rd.
So today, there is music, making more cookies for friends (the one's yesterday all evaporated) and getting some last minute cards prepared.
So which one do I send?
There is no more naughty and nice, EVERYONE is nice - the Politically Correct Christmas Card
DEAR ______ : Please accept with no implied or implicit obligation on your part, my best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low-stress, non-addictive, gender-neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasion and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all. I also wish you a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of the generally accepted in the calendar year 2011, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make America great. Not to imply that America is necessarily greater than any other country or is the only America in the Western Hemisphere and without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith or sexual preference of the wishes. By accepting these greetings you are accepting these terms. This greeting is subject to clarification or withdrawal. It is freely transferable with no alteration to the original greeting. It implies no promise by the wisher to actually implement any of the wishes for herself or himself or others and is void where prohibited by law and is revocable at the sole discretion of the wisher. This wish is warranted to perform as expected within the usual application of good tidings for a period of one year or until the issuance of a subsequent holiday greeting, whichever comes first, and warranty is limited to replacement of this wish or issuance of a new wish at the sole discretion of the wisher.
Or do I just make my own, from the heart? In memory of Barkley.
I like a traditional Christmas. Not long ago, someone I knew professionally invited me over to their house for Christmas Eve and Day as I didn't really have any plans and I didn't have any family in that part of the country and being new on the job I didn't have leave or money to fly out West for the holidays. There was no music, the plastic tree was put up on Christmas Eve and the kid's presents were ripped open on Christmas Eve in a flurry of paper without as much as a thank you while the adults just had snacks and drank. Christmas day was non stop video games after more presents from Santa. No church, no Christmas Carols, no candles, no special dinner, nothing.
I appreciated the invite but it felt no more like Christmas than July 3rd.
So today, there is music, making more cookies for friends (the one's yesterday all evaporated) and getting some last minute cards prepared.
So which one do I send?
There is no more naughty and nice, EVERYONE is nice - the Politically Correct Christmas Card
DEAR ______ : Please accept with no implied or implicit obligation on your part, my best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low-stress, non-addictive, gender-neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasion and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all. I also wish you a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of the generally accepted in the calendar year 2011, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make America great. Not to imply that America is necessarily greater than any other country or is the only America in the Western Hemisphere and without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith or sexual preference of the wishes. By accepting these greetings you are accepting these terms. This greeting is subject to clarification or withdrawal. It is freely transferable with no alteration to the original greeting. It implies no promise by the wisher to actually implement any of the wishes for herself or himself or others and is void where prohibited by law and is revocable at the sole discretion of the wisher. This wish is warranted to perform as expected within the usual application of good tidings for a period of one year or until the issuance of a subsequent holiday greeting, whichever comes first, and warranty is limited to replacement of this wish or issuance of a new wish at the sole discretion of the wisher.Or do I just make my own, from the heart? In memory of Barkley.
I want a link to the first card option!
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