The grinch who stole my Christmas

Do you know anyone who didn't cheer for Rudy? What about Rocky? Vince Papale in Invincible? Jerry Maguire? The Rockford Peaches in A League of their Own? Or in my favourite movie of all time - The Shawshank Redemption - is there anyone who wasn't rooting for Andy to break free of those prison walls?

I don't think so.

But when I decided to write a blog about how much I enjoy Christmas cards - sending and receiving - and let the world in on the friendly competition that my sisters and I share, something changed in the underdog story.

Jacquie wins the bet every year. And she doesn't just win - she blows Celina and I out of the water. We aren't even close. Last year Jac had over 50 cards. Celina collected almost 40 (she admits to that being an exceptional year as Layla's class sent out cards to help put Celina on the map). And I received a grand total of 27. 

When I announced the bet and last year's totals, I fully expected people to rally with the underdog. But what happened was the complete opposite.

Jacquie went for a visit with some family and saw our cousin Dianne. She gave her her annual Christmas card and then asked if she should delay mailing mine and Celina's to give her a head start at winning the bet. To her credit, Jac said no. The bet is a fun game and it should be fair. I believe Dianne mailed the letters, but since I haven't received mine I can't be sure.

Next - Jacquie has a friend and co-worker who prefers to send New Year's cards. They are welcomed just as much as a Christmas card, but unfortunately don't count for our bet. So when she discovered this little fact, she created a Christmas photo card of her family and emailed it to Jacquie. At first I thought it was real until I noticed that the heads of her family have been cropped onto other people's bodies:

Her friend also asked her husband to write a Merry Christmas email to send to Jacquie. He sent this:

 

Merry Christmas Jacquie!  Hope the holiday season finds you well!
Warmest regards, Sean

Wow! It's funny - so, so, so funny. And resulted in Jacquie counting two points instead of one.

Jacquie was then disappointed because her parents-in-law have also decided to jump on the New Year's card bandwagon - which again means she can't count their card. But was surprised when she received a hand delivered card from her father-in-law that read:

 

And finally - Jacquie received not one, not two, but three cards from the same address in Lanigan. She thought it was odd and began opening them up. She received a Christmas card from the Bergen's. Then received another card specifically from their son Mattex. And lastly, received a card from their pet dog.

From. The. Dog.

Yesterday Jacquie received a total of 14 cards. FOURTEEN!?!

As of yesterday morning I was happily in the lead of our friendly competition with a total of 27 cards (my total from last year). Celina was sitting at 16 and Jacquie was at 23. With only two days left I thought there was finally a chance that I might win this year.

And then Jacquie received a letter from a dog.

Celina and I thought seriously about adding a rule to the game that states that you can only count one card per household - but then we remembered Santa letters. We each have 2 kids, so we count each Santa letter as its own point. And I think about the future when Mya or Jasper want to help me with Christmas cards and will send out their own. I'd like to think that those cards would count. So we allowed Jacquie to count all of her letters.

All 37 of them...

Jacquie has yet to check the mail today, but we know what's waiting in her mailbox. And with only one day left - Celina and I will admit defeat and once again will lose the Christmas card bet. We will make the trek to Tim Horton's and purchase $5 gift cards in Jacquie's name and send them in the mail.

She will receive more mail.

What happened to cheering for the underdog? Apparently no one cheers for the underdog anymore - not even the dog...

Merry Christmas everyone. Thank you all for the cards, emails, pictures and letters. We enjoy each and every one of them and look forward to the 2014 season already. And who knows - maybe next year we'll receive letters from all sorts of animals?

Melanie

Christmas card season

December 1st marks the beginning of Christmas card season and I look forward to it all year long. To me, it might just be better than Christmas itself.

Growing up, I did not come from a family who sent out Christmas cards. We received a handful of them from family members and I would feel jealous as I read them over and over. I longed to take a family picture and to write a yearly letter that everyone would read. I wished my dad would send out cards from us.

It was in University when I sent out my very first set of Christmas cards. I spent a month collecting addresses from family and friends. I painstakingly wrote out addresses on all the envelopes by hand and spent days writing and rewriting my letter. And I waited and waited for my pictures to arrive so I could mail everything together. It was so much fun dropping off that stack of envelopes in the mailbox that year and I couldn't wait for the replies.

One year - my roommates decided to hide the Christmas cards I received. The mail arrived while I was at work and I would check the mailbox when I got home to find it empty. They would hide them all over the house and if I wanted them, it was up to me to find them. One would be hanging from the chandelier in the kitchen. Another nestled beside a beer in our fridge. And another waited to be found in the shower the next morning. My roommates felt hiding my cards was much more fun than just looking in a mailbox. And they were right. Each day my excitement grew as I discovered them in the most bizarre places.

The only card they weren't allowed to hide was my Grandma Beaton's. She used to send me a card every year and hers was my favourite. She took the time to write a handwritten note on the entire left side of the card telling me about how well she was doing at bowling and what the weather was like. My Grandma came from a time before computers and I certainly appreciated the time and effort it took to write all those cards. Some years I believe my aunts helped her write all her letters, but the words were still hers. She stopped sending cards a few years before she passed away, but she would still call me after she received mine to chat about the weather and to thank me for thinking of her. She always loved receiving letters.

My favourite cards now come with pictures and letters, but honestly, anything will do. Some friends are creative - like Sam who sent a crossword puzzle as her letter last year. Some friends are thoughtful - like Melissa who sent a recipe one year. Some friends make me smile - like Duncan whose message always reads: Happy Ho Ho and whose card is always the first one to arrive in my mailbox (because he follows my 'cards go in the mail on December 1' rule). And some friends really know how to use the exclamation point to their advantage - right, Becky!!!! Each card is different and they all make me smile.

This year I opted for fun and wrote a poem as my annual letter. I'll share it on my blog in a few weeks so as not to spoil the surprise for all those on my Christmas card list. I mailed letters and pictures to a whopping 97 families. Some envelopes will travel throughout the provinces of BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec, and one card is even making its way all the way down under this year. As with tradition I also included a few family pictures and thought I'd show a sneak peek here:

 

One might assume that since I send out so many cards, that I also receive a lot of cards. But that's not necessarily the case. Some years I receive more than others, but last year I received a total of 27 cards. I know the number because my sisters and I have an annual bet on who receives the most cards and Jacquie always wins. I believe she opened over 50 cards last year while Celina had around 40. But honestly, it doesn't matter. I send cards because I love it. I don't expect a card in return, but I certainly do love when people send me one back.

 

Today is December 4 and I have one card on my wall (thanks Duncan). I can't wait to see who else has me on their list this year :)

 

Happy Holidays!

 

Melanie