Gathering Addresses

Tis the season to make lists, gather addresses and plan holiday fun. Tonight as I prepared to pour over my Christmas card spreadsheet I began to panic. My old computer is basically dead and that is where I kept my spreadsheet. You see I like lists and I love spreadsheets. Years ago I began keeping data on who I sent cards to and who sent them back. To be honest, it's a means to cut down my outgoing cards. Not that I want to be a scrooge but the list keeps growing and growing. I try to keep my outgoing cards to 100, it's a challenge. I don't received that many cards, I guess people are too busy to make the time for this age old custom. Or maybe their husbands have convinced them to email cards. My darling hubby has suggested such a deal...oh that's not happening!

So I ask, how do you weaned down the list? There are people like my friend Susan who hasn't sent me a card in 8 years but will always get one from me even though she knows every details of the past year. She's just my person! But then there's Jenny who always sends a card but we haven't talked to each other for 14 years. Do I still send her a card? What about people from the kids' activities that I see weekly but we aren't friends? Do I send them a card just to be merry and jolly but truth be told I either don't really know them or don't care for them? And then what's the rule with co-workers? You say I'm over thinking this...absolutely! It's important (to me) to do the right thing.

So I have made a list, on my new computer. Currently I have 82 to mail, 28 to hand out and 15 to email. I need to cut at least 10 or move them to the email column. You know, I may have forgotten some recipients thus creating a cushion is a good idea. Oh my gosh, thank goodness I don't have a job that requires me to be gone from home for 9 hours a day. How on earth would I get all this accomplished?

Next on my list...
Finish Christmas shopping
Wrap gifts
Make a second batch of peppernuts
Clean out something, this house is so cluttered.

I hope your Christmas season to-do list is short and manageable. Whatever doesn't get done will only be noticed by you. Christ is still King whether we mail cards, wrap gifts or volunteer to ring the Salvation Army bells.