What A Card!
(For those unaware, this post title is a play off of calling someone a “card” which is a real thing that has happened, okay?)
“Are you sending out Christmas cards this year?” my mom asked during our weekly video chat.
“Yes!” I replied earnestly. “We are doing them digitally this year again! So we’ll be sending them out over email and social media and the like.”
“…oh.” The disappointment in her voice was like a fine chocolate mousse: textured, soft, yet full of flavor. “Eh. Well.”
Not quite the response I was hoping for, but alas, this is where we are these days.
May and I are going digital again this year as our preferred delivery method, and to be blunt, it’s largely because it’s just cheaper. Between the ordering/printing, stamps, and industrial strength mouthwash required to clear out the taste of glue from licking all of those envelopes, merely making a few mouse clicks helps save us some extra money (not to mention time) that can go to much more beneficial things, like other people’s presents, or gas for the car, or ordering some pizza, again, because May and I just have exhausted our annual “excitement to cook” budget.
Now, we could get the regular folded Christmas cards, but as a visual person, I always preferred the ones with pictures, particularly photos. I know I always enjoy getting them, because then at least my addlepated brain can try and recall who these people are from their faces rather than just their names.
The tricky aspect of the photo cards is that then I have to suit up for a boxing match with May about what photos to use. I always like taking a family shot around the tree or the house or what not so I can try and delude myself into thinking that all that money I dumped into photography gear really was a wise investment, but May is always looking to either not be featured in the card at all or to use pre-approved photos from other times in the year. Which, sure, I get in that some pictures look better than others, but I always found it a bit odd to include photos from a summer beach trip or bar crawl night in April as part of your Christmas card. Sort of like including a photo from your Burning Man trip in a condolences card”
“Hey Todd, really sorry about your dad passing unexpectedly.”
“Sure Matt, thanks for the card, but, uh, where is there a picture of you shirtless in desert apparently quaffing an entire bottle of Jack Daniels?”
“Oh, I just like how my rosacea wasn’t as obvious in that picture. Natural light works best with my skin, you know.”
Also, going digital makes it easier for me to have some more fun with the card designs. When picking designs and patterns online, you normally have a set of options that are impressive in how incredibly varied they are and yet still all equally uninspiring. Naturally, often the best ones cost even more, so you are limited in what you can do with your budget, and personally, I like to keep my Christmas card development more fun and interesting than a trip to Home Depot.
So, as a result, I get to have some fun creatively with the pictures, May and I get to save money on physically sending them out, and the local pizza shop gets some more of our money because now we can order pizza twice a year rather than just once. Wins all around!
And for those who really want it, you can always just print out the image for your own private, non-commercial use. With proper attribution. And following all federal, state, and local laws regarding copyright, trademarks, and avoiding market confusion.
Call me generous, but hey, ‘tis the season!
Anyway, enjoy this year’s Christmas Card, based on the “Oppenheimer” movie poster. Because, well, why not?
