Nice Try, Universe

Hello there - I hope you are all enjoying and/or surviving December.  Thanks for all the nice comments about my post welcoming the month.

Remember the cold I had, that had started to worm its way into my system over Thanksgiving?  Well, for a couple of days, it acted all casual, like "OK, Bridget, I'll give up and you can feel better, no big deal."  And I was pleased about that.  And then, the Universe apparently stepped in and said, "Nope.  You're gonna have to feel a lot worse before you can even *think* of feeling better."  And I have NOT been pleased about that.  I have, however, carried on as best I can (even if I basically was just able to function well enough to go to work, and then would come home and crash), so I feel that the joke is [mostly] on the universe.   Because in spite of its efforts, I've still been happily thinking about it being Christmastime, listening to Christmas music, and reading Christmas-themed books.  Granted, I have also been taking medicine, cough syrup, and cough and throat drops.   But. Not. The. Point. ;-)

However, as a result, I am behind on things, so I have decided to extend the deadline for anyone who wants to participate in the Great 2016 Holiday Snail Mail Card Exchange, to the end of the day on Tuesday, December 6.  Then I'll send out the list to everyone on Wednesday, December 7.  So far we have a few people, so I think it will be easily manageable for everyone involved, and anyone else who would like to join us.  So please do, the more the merrier!

We did something we haven't done for a while last night - had a small gathering and a dinner party.  We had originally invited people for the day after Thanksgiving, but since both of us were sick we rescheduled for last night.  It was pretty low-key, and nothing very complicated was served, and we had a great time.  Though no one left until about 1:30 a.m.!!  I cannot remember when I have been up so late on purpose, and I was pretty useless today as a result.  But it was worth it.  Though I think the most exhausted family members were the cats ...

This week our Christmas plans and preparations really go into gear.  The Tim is planning to bring the boxes o' decorations up, and we'll go and pick out a tree.  So exciting!

I hope all of you have had a good weekend, and are not feeling crummy at all like I am!  I'll be back soon with more ramblings.  Have a good week!

So I Had This Idea ...

Hello!  Happy day after Thanksgiving!  I hope yours was good and yummy and cozy.  Ours was slightly different than usual, which I'll share in another post.  But of course it was good because we were all here together for the whole day.

I was watching the parade yesterday, and saw a commercial where one of the people opened up a Christmas card and smiled.  And I thought about how I do love to get Christmas cards (or any snail mail, really).  Last year was somewhat disappointing in that way, since we only received a few actual cards in the  mail.  I know that people are increasingly sending electronic greetings both for convenience and for environmental reasons.  I know that I'm grateful when I realize that someone's birthday is  nearly here, and a card sent in the mail would be late, that I can still send my good wishes in time.  But in the end, there is  nothing I like more than actually getting a card (or even a letter!) in the mail.

I even use the cards we receive as part of our decorations!
(This is from a few years back)

So I had an idea, and wondered if anyone else might like it too.  I thought it might be fun to have a little holiday card exchange, for those who are interested.  Here's how it would work:

* The Great 2016 Holiday Snail Mail Card Exchange *

1.  Each person would agree to send a holiday card via snail mail to the others on the list.  Nothing else is required, just your signature if you want it to be as minimal as possible.  No gift items, no packages to send, simply a card to let someone know you took time to think about them.

2.  Anyone interested can e-mail their name and mailing address to me before midnight EST on Friday, December 2 (a week from today).  

3.  I compile the list, and e-mail it to all of the other participants no later than midnight EST on Monday, December 5 (a week from this coming Monday).

4.  Every participant sends out their cards no later than Tuesday, December 20.

5.  Recipients open their cards and smile.

Now I know that everyone gets really busy this time of year, so if you don't think you can do it, or if you are just plain not interested, that's fine.  But for those who think they would like to be part of it, please join me in spreading an extra little bit of holiday cheer to each other.

If you decide to participate, please send an e-mail with your full name and mailing address to me at: baclancyATverizonDOTnet by midnight next Friday, and we can get started!

*For those of you who do have environmental concerns related to this, I can say that most cards are recyclable.  If you don't want to immediately put them into the recycling bin, you can use the fronts or parts of the front for gift tags next year.  In our area, there are local charities who will take the front of cards that have no handwriting on the back, and use them as gift tags for things they give out.  And you can send all or any greeting cards all-year-round here to be re-used.  So there are various options.