Category: default || By jt3y

I apologize. Truly. To all of the people who've sent me Christmas cards (or are those Chrismakwanukah cards?) this year. There's a whole passel of them up on top of the refrigerator right now, and I was touched by all of them. And since I know several of the people who sent them also read this tripe (whether out of pity or morbid curiosity, it's hard to say), I thought I'd just issue a group apology right now.

I meant this year to send Christmas cards out. I really did. Not two feet from the keyboard I'm using to write this Almanac sits two boxes of American Greetings Christmas cards that I purchased in early December, fully planning to send them out. In the upper right drawer of this desk is a book of Christmas stamps.

Has one Christmas card been sent?

No. And the stamps with the old-fashioned Santa Claus ornaments will be used to send payments to the gas company and Duquesne Light for months to come, I'm sure.

It's not that I'm an arrogant jerk. Well, I am, but this isn't necessarily proof. I am hopelessly disorganized, however. And I've never sat down and actually made out a Christmas card list --- compiling names and addresses --- until it's too late to send them. Every year, I make a solemn vow: This year, as Burl Ives is my witness, I will send out Christmas wishes to my friends and family!

And do they go out?

Well, when I moved this summer, I found four boxes of unopened Christmas cards that I had purchased on two previous years, so what do you think the answer is?

Next year, I promise, things will be different. I've been clipping the return addresses off of the cards I've gotten so far and putting them into a basket. That will put me so much farther ahead on making my list, I figure. Ha! How's that for genius?

Anyone want to bet I lose the basket before Russian Orthodox Christmas?