Jeremy is shaking his head in disbelief and he hasn’t even read my post yet!
I know. I know. If you aren’t willing to put pen to paper and lick the stamp, where’s the effort to give someone a genuine Christmas greeting? (Heck. We don’t even lick stamps anymore!)
The Christmas cards are trickling in this season–it’s December 12, and I’ve received just a few–five to be exact. I received one in early November with a nice letter. The second came in late November, from Aunt Evelyn and Uncle Ken. They always do a creative write-up of their year in review. There’s a photo card from the Robinsons–including the addition of Sarah’s husband-to-be. Maybe the bulk of my cards are still in the mail.
I remember the “good ole’ days” when the four kids were lined up, each with a folding snack table in front of us, signing our names in assembly-line style to the hundred or more Christmas cards my mom was sending out. Then she would write a sincere and heart-felt message on each one (no joke–she really wrote nice things), and one of us got to lick the envelope and stamp. Frankly, I’ve always liked the taste of envelope glue.
I’m one of those who doesn’t send cards anymore. I have a bunch of excuses–the cost, the protection of the environment, I didn’t have a decent photo with the boys and Roger, no time, whatever.
Yesterday, Roger sent The Yule Log a link with 10 free e-cards. At first, I was just going to take a look, no commitment. I have to investigate what I will be writing about. Then, I was hooked. I sent e-cards to everyone. FREE is a good incentive. Also, one two of the sites, I didn’t even need to create an account.
My favorite for the music, interactive card is the free e-cards from Hallmark. I sent that one to Denise because it was very sentimental, and she used to cry at the drop of a hat. She has followed The Yule Log 365 for nearly 365 days, so she deserves my marginal effort at a Christmas card. Hallmark made me sign up to send the card, and when I went back to the site, I couldn’t find the FREE ones any more. It was only cards with a $12 subscription. But $12 for a whole year is pretty affordable.
The most clever FREE card came from PINGG–it’s a Christmas pie chart. This is a site similar to EVITE. I had to sign up for this site, too. After the initial sign up, I could use the site to send invitations as well as cards. I also sent a FREE card from Punchbowl, another site that has options for party planning and more. This card had a digital envelope with a digital stamp. The stamp was customizable. I figure if the sender gets caught up in the customizing a digital stamp, then that borders on obsessive.
The 3D card I sent from Jimpix was pretty cool–no sign up. That’s a bonus for this lazy girl. The type swirled around with metallic shimmer. I sent Roger a card from someecards because the message on the card was snarky and about marketing. When a woman sends her husband an ecard for any other reason than blog research, that’s a little odd.
Hipstercards.com was straight up easy. The cards are simple and cute. I didn’t have to make an account. I fail in the area of knowing what a “hipster” is, but the card was fun a clever. Overall, I think I’d send cards from that site again.
If you made it this far in the blog, you’ll probably send an e-card or two of your own. If that’s your plan, send one to theyulelog@gmail.com. Would love to hear from you digitally!
The Yule Log 365 