Christmas Cards We're "doing Christmas Cards" tonight. This is a long standing family ritual that officially kicks off the Christmas season. Everyone gathers around a table, each with a pen (often of different colours) and a glass of eggnog. The table is never in the kitchen; in the old house it was always in the basement, in the new house it seems the living room is the chosen destination. In addition to signing his or her name, each family member has a specific job. My mom is responsible for the meat of the project: writing personal messages to the recipient of each card. My job has been writing "Joyeux Noel et Bonne Annee" (Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year for those of you not up on your french holiday messages) since I knew both how to write, and how to spell it. My sister was responsible for putting the card in the envelope, sealing it, and putting a Christmas sticker on it, while my Dad is responsible for putting stamps on the enevelopes and keeping everyone in eggnog. This year, my sister no longer lives at home so we'll have to assign her job to someone else. Probably my dad since he's got the end of the card train anyway. It won't be just three of us around the table this year though. No, my sister and her fiancee are going to start their own christmas card tradition by setting up shop with us this year. Personally, I think the best part of this night is that we get to break out some of the christmas baking that's been going on for weeks now. Since we've moved into the new house and gained possession of an attached walk-in freezer...I mean...garage, my mom can bake everything in advance and keep it out there, just waiting for the right occasion to bring it inside. Mmm...rum balls. As far as I'm concerned, these family traditions are what christmas is all about. How can I be in the christmas spirit if I haven't signed my name 57 times? |