Christmas cards are kind of a tradition in my family. My grandmother has a photo album filled with each of the annual Christmas card pictures they have taken in their 54 years of marriage. My parents continued the tradition that my dad’s parents began, and in each year’s photo you can see our growth (there was a time I was taller than my brother!), our styles (did I truly wear my curls like that?!), our pets (I miss my Siamese cat named Mocha).
When Merritt and I got married, we couldn’t let the tradition die. That first Christmas we were still writing wedding thank you notes, but each year since then, we’ve posed for the family photo (inevitably taken when it’s about 15 degrees outside–but the snow always looks pretty!) and composed an update letter to send to family near and far.
It’s that time once again–and we’re glad we took the picture two weeks ago (when it was a mere 25 outside), because now all our snow is melting and it looks like we might not even have a white Christmas! I have the envelopes addressed and ready for the letters Merritt is going to pick up from the print shop this afternoon. Then I’ll add some scribbled lines of greeting on a few, fold them, tuck them into envelopes, and send them off to add to the abundance of mail flying back and forth across the country this holiday season.
Yet, not all of my friends will receive our greetings and photos in the mail. In an effort to cut down on the annual expense, we’ve started sending out fewer Christmas cards via the U.S. Postal Service, and more via the world wide web. Facebook notes and links, emails with photo attachments, blog posts with pictures galore–the web has made it easier to keep up with more people for less (a statement which could have many interpretations, I know!).
In this week leading up to Christmas, the YLCF Team will be sharing Christmas “post cards” here on ylcf.org, to give each of you an update on our lives and families. But we decided that we wanted to hear from you, too–we want to hear the latest news in your lives, and perhaps even see your family photo if you’ll allow us. Think of it as a virtual Christmas card exchange!
If you’ve posted your family Christmas letter on your blog, or have written a year in review sort of post, or even if you just have a recent family photo to share via your blog or Facebook, we’d love it if you’d share the link below! The YLCF Christmas Post Card Exchange will be open for linking through New Year’s, so you’ll have plenty of time to not only read everyone’s updates, but compose your own.
We’re looking forward to posting our own Christmas post cards–but even more so, to reading yours! (And if you’d like to place the button in your post or sidebar, see code below.)
This linky list is now closed.
Post Cards from the YLCF Team Members:
Ashleigh – Christmas came early in Colorado this year…
Chantel – A Post Card from Tennessee
Elisabeth – Post Card from Bethlehem
Gretchen – A Post Card From: The Little Pink House
Jeannie – Postmarked: Wisconsin, England, Colorado, & California!
Jessica – A Post Card from California
Lanier – Twelfth Night Post Card
Button Code:
<a href="http://ylcf.org/2010/12/christmas-post-card-exchange"><img src="http://ylcf.org/images/2010postcardexchange-small.jpg" border="0" alt="YLCF first annual Christmas Post Card Exchange"></a>
What a fantastically fun idea!
Great idea! I’ll look forward to “meeting” some new friends!
Love the idea; I might just join in!