House of Cards

Joy to all!

Sending cards at this time of year is one of my favorite things to do.  Every year

I fail to get them all done - please forgive me.  Following in Bibliomama’s footsteps,

I decided to document for the centuries to come some of my favorite cards

and my process.

Here are a few of my favorites.

Cards using my own photos

Cards using my own photos.  Clockwise from upper left: 

Suburban Pittsburgh Gothic, Feb 2010. In which the Common Household Mom and Husband seek to re-enact a famous American painting.

Cat of Hope in the Neighbor’s Driveway.  This cat, posed perfectly at the end of our unshoveled driveway, has never been seen again.

Gingerbread Houses at PPG Place, Pittsburgh, 2011.  This was from the Gingerbread House contest, brilliantly displayed.  After that year, the display moved to a different location and was not as elaborate, for instance, no train.

Card with skyline of NYC, pre-21st century

Long ago, we lived in New York City (Manhattan).  I loved to send this card

with its stylized skyline of NYC.  After 2001, it became too sad.  

I have kept one copy because it includes the Twin Towers, to remind me of

what was, but is no more, due to hatred and violence.  

Winter chickens, with pun:
Have a sPECKtacular season!

Winter Chickens, 2020.

Fabulous art PLUS a pun!  The art is copyrighted original art by

Patti Gay (Two Can Art).  The description on the back reads: 

Two Can Art is a collaboration between artist Patti Gay and her

son Noah who is autistic.  Noah creates all of the painted textures that

become Patti’s palette from which she creates beautiful, layered images.

And I am delighted today to find that this art work (and much more) can be purchased at allport.com/twocan. They also sell puzzles, towels, and napkins, using recycled paper.  A portion of proceeds go to charitable organizations.  

Eight Nights of Excuses card,  and headline card

Hanukkah cards

I don’t know how these particular cards, which aim to be amusing, are

received by our Jewish friends and family.  We’re just trying to bring levity

to the world.  We have already used Excuse #3 this year -

went out to dinner, missed sunset.

tiny owl card and 3-D card

A few more

The owl card is by artist Kristal Serna.  I don’t remember how I happened

across this artist’s products.  Many of them are way too cutesy for me,

but I like this owl. (And I really love her fall and spring scenes.)

The 3-D card on the right is an example of homemade cards.  I have

known two people who can make cards like this and I have been the fortunate

recipient of some of their work.  I am in awe.  

Humorous

Do yinz appreciate humorous Christmas cards, even if they border on rudeness? 

I haven’t had the right frame of mind to send these two.  Yet.

Chaos

The process begins at the computer desk, for the selection of photos and the

writing of the paragraph describing our year.  I fuss and brood over this part. 

After using most of a print cartridge to print (on regular paper), it’s on to

the actual cards.

Commandeering the dining room table

The card-writing operation takes up the entire dining room table.  I spend

some minutes agonizing over which card to select for which person. 

Would this person prefer seeing a fun card, a profound card, a religious card,

a homemade card?   I can’t listen to music while doing this task, lest I write the

wrong word or make a mistake on the address.

I have a fondness for envelope seals, partly because the glue on the envelope

sometimes is defunct.  The envelope seals are both festive and functional.

I told my husband that this year I decided not to use the Hanukkah envelope seals for the cards to our Jewish friends.  He said, “We can’t live in fear.”  I agreed, but said that I can’t make that decision for someone else.  Why should I potentially identify a household as possibly Jewish by sending them a letter with a Jewish symbol on it?  It’s extremely sad, but these are the times we live in.

After I complete a few, it’s time for the concluding ritual:

Seal the envelope

Affix address label on front

Carefully choose and affix envelope seal on back

Affix stamp

Assign Common Household Husband to take the crop to the post office.

Signed, sealed, and ready to mail

So far, as of Dec 20th, I’ve gotten halfway through my list.  

These days, I wonder if it is worthwhile to continue - all the paper used, you know, and the energy to transport them.  But I decide maybe it’s good to support the post office, and maybe one of those cards will bring some cheer to someone desperate for it.  In conclusion, I guess sending holiday cards is a dying ritual, and perhaps rightly so, but I will continue it while I can. 

Happy holidays from the Common Household!