Sunday, December 13, 2009

Random Firsts

For the first time, I have consciously decided not to send out Christmas cards this year. This is HUGE for me! I invariably have grand intentions, starting in July or so, to be super organized and start the Christmas letter/family photo process extremely early so that they'll be done and sent well before Christmas arrives. I invariably end up sending them late, sometimes in January, sometimes several months later. I invariably start with the beginning of my alphabetical list, resulting in our friends with "A" last names hearing from us every year, but our "Z" friends rarely receiving anything from us. I invariably feel the stress of reality not meeting up to my expectations, and it eats away at me.

But not this year. I've come to the conclusion that it's not worth it--that simplifying my life, especially in this prone-to-crazy-stress month of December, is far more important than sending Christmas greetings. Besides, so many people have access to our lives through this blog and Facebook (Jeff's, not mine, because I'm apparently one of the few people left on the planet who doesn't do Facebook) that it's not as if a Christmas picture and family update is the only way they ever find out what's going on with us.

I had reached this decision some time ago; but now my resolve is being tested because as I sort through our mail and open envelopes with beautiful family pictures and wonderfully newsy Christmas letters, I wish that somehow I had been able to do that this year. I miss it: NOT the stress of it all, but the finished product. Sigh.

Maybe I'll have my act together in time to send Easter letters. ;)

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For the first time, a stranger asked me as I walked down the sidewalk with my boys, "Are they all yours?" Getting comments about the size of our family is nothing new, but I don't remember that particular question ever being asked of me before. Of course they're all mine! Is it really such a surprise that I would have four children? I'm sure the person asking it wasn't intending to be mean or rude, and I wasn't offended--just surprised, I guess, that with only four children, I would be asked that. I wonder how the mothers of truly large families manage to stay gracious when asked all sorts of questions by curious strangers!

6 comments:

Lisa said...

Actually I'm not on Facebook either. It feels like one more thing. You know?

Give yourself grace about Christmas cards. With all that's going on in your life that's GOOD, definitely keep your focus on the inside of your four walls andall those boys that are yours.:-)

Maybe when you send cards out next year you'll have another little cute Fisher baby and you can shock everyone! ha!!

All kidding aside, hugs and relax!!

Julie said...

The comment I get is, "You don't look OLD enough to have a daughter that age/that many kids, etc..." But I AM old enough. Really truly. Once I said, "Well, when you start at 13..." and caught a person really off guard. Couldn't resist ;-)

Margie said...

I'm not sending cards, either! Congratulations on stepping back, and re-adjusting your focus. I do believe your good friends and all your family will understand. But, like you, getting the cards in the mail makes me wish I was a part of it all.

I'm not on Facebook, either, so I'm one of the last few left, too. Can't figure out how that would work into the too little time I already have...

Stacey said...

I figure there will be enough time when I am old, to send out christmas cards... Right now I just want to make sugar cookies with the kids and enjoy them. As for the big family I am the oldest of 6 kids. I would routinely get looks of disgust when I was 17 or 18 and I was taking my little 1 and 2 year old siblings to the mall. Just another teenage mom they were all thinking. haha anyway in Utah it is the norm to have large families. not the norm to have a small family. I only have two kids. they are both so different in looks, one is blonde and fair the other dark skin and hair. we had a lady ask us one time if they were both, both of ours? Duh! My husband and I just looked at each other. Not so much offended for ourselves, but for the fact that she could even ask the question. I guess it is a by product of this crazy culture we live in.
Love your blog and wishing you a very merry CHRISTmas!

Sally said...

Wonderful! Another stress management technique for Christmastime. I quit sending out Christmas cards a while back. Instead, I send a New Year's letter. It takes the stress off of having it done by Christmas time. And, even at that, now it is usually only sent to elderly friends and relatives that don't access the internet and keep up with me that way. I'm not promising I'll get one done this year, but I haven't scratched it yet.

Unknown said...

Of course you don't need to send cards ... everyone understands how busy it is at Christmastime. I wrote a list of close family and friends to send to ... and ended up with 63! I certainly won't be sending that many out! That said, I treasure the photos of friends and their children that I receive each Christmas, and often place them on my fridge for the whole year. So I do try to send photo cards with a picture of Boo on them to those people who care about him. How about a group Christmas email with photos of your babies? That way anyone who wants to print them out can.