I am going to just come out and say it. I love getting and sending Christmas cards. Even though an email greeting would be a greener way to go, once a year I feel like it’s a great, wonderful, joyful thing to connect with people the way a real card can and an email can’t. I even love the holiday wrap-up letters that are fodder for comedians and year-end OUT lists. I like finding out what is going on with people I fondly remember, especially if they aren’t in my current email-sphere, and I have always loved sending out a homemade greeting, often with a silly letter designed into it.

But the struggle began just about the time Georgia was born. I was thinking more about how our actions affect the earth, and feeling a little bad about sending cards. But we’d had a baby, and dang was she cute, and we had to announce it to the world bundled in the joy of a Christmas photo card. But I recently I found a stack of stamped, addressed envelopes from ’03, so loads of people never got that card. The next year was a little more difficult, having just moved west and wrestling with my green guilt and a toddler too. I don’t even know what I did. Last year I made cards again, and printed them on recycled paper. I just found the large stack, and I’m sure I didn’t sent more than ten or so. At least I can reuse the envelopes from '03, with additional postage, but the stack of out of date cards had to go in the recycling bin. I realized I was in such a quandary about sending out cards, I just let neuroses and inertia take over.

So this year is different! I’ve been searching for eco-friendly options for photo cards. I’ve given up on making my own – they never please Hova and I no longer have the time. And I’ve found some that are nicely designed and printed. The options run from top-of-the-line [1] super green (the right paper, ink, printing process, and quite expensive) to some less expensive [2] and simply printed on recycled stock (though I don’t want the recycle logo as part of the design on my card!).

So I can definitely feel like I’m taking less of a toll on the planet this year – what a relief. I can let people know how we’re doing, send a picture of Georgia, maybe one of her drawings, let people know they are in our thoughts and our hearts, and feel good when send out my cards!

Which is going to happen any day now…

As soon as I get them ordered. And they get shipped. And signed. And stamped.

OK, maybe we’ll get them out in time for Elvismas [3]!

Photo credit: theogeo [4]