Send out Christmas cards in 2005

I received one more card on the 23rd from someone I hadn’t sent one to, and mailed one out to her on the 24th. The cards that have come in now are all from people I already sent to, and since it’s now the 27th if any more come in they’ll get put on the list for next year as 2005 is done and gone, baby.

Okay, so I got two more unsolicited cards today, and mailed out all the ones I plan on mailing. (One of the unsolicited was from a former coworker who spread rumors about harassment about me, so I’m ignoring that one and will not respond.) If I can make it two more days without getting any more cards, I’ll mark this one complete.

Well, I went and sent out two more in order to match cards that were sent to me, and what do I get in the mail today? Yes, another person has sent me a card who wasn’t on this year’s card list. Good thing I still have more cards just for this purpose.

Okay, I just today received a card from someone who I’d taken off my list this year because he hadn’t sent me a card the last two years. I’ll do up a card for him tonight and mail it tomorrow.

I’ve been slacking on this but cranked out the last eight tonight. On one I still need to look up the address and insert a check. On another I need to look up my friend’s kids’ names to include in the card. And one I need to get postage at the post office since it’s going to Germany. When I drop these in the mail later today, I can mark this one done.

Now I just have to add my return address and drop them in the post office. Of course these were the easy ones where I didn’t have to add much personalization. Those get saved for last.

Every year I track the cards that I send out, and the cards I receive. Last year I sent out 50 cards, but I’ve culled this year’s list down to 40. It’s not that I’m not still friends with those 10 people I’ve cut off my list, but when I’ve been sending cards for the past four or five years and never got one back from them I have to think:

1) they don’t send cards at all
2) they don’t send me a card
3) they don’t find value in holiday cards
4) they’re cheap or lazy
or
5) they don’t hold me in the same class of friends that I hold them

I mean sure, it’s less than a buck a person when I send out cards, and sure, maybe I’m being anal about it, but even if they would acknowledge the card with a phone call or email it would be worth it to me to keep them on the list.

Do any of you keep track of this stuff, or am I the only anal one out there?