Christmas Cards

I bought this angel stand (which you can't really see) in the beginning of our marriage. Each year I look forward to opening the cards & putting them in their place on the stand. Some are new friends, some are old friends, some are family, Roman even has two this year from friends. My favorites are the ones with pictures.

Here are just a few of the many special cards we received.

Clayton, Nita & Tyler Waugh

Clayton was our Youth Pastor at Calvary Hill Baptist Church. We didn't have a Pastor when we married (Nick was on the search committee) so Clayton, also our dear friend, married us. Later I was Tyler's babysitter from the time he was 3 months - 18 months old.

Jeff, Teri, Gabby & Adrianna (AKA B-Bop) Smith

Teri is one of Nick's baby sisters. Jeff's job moves them every year to different locations. They are currently in Australia, this picture is in New Zealand.

This is one of Nick's older brothers, Tony. His wife Debby, their daughter Jessie & her family. They live near Pittsburg, PA.

Brian, Sara, Savanna & Micah Calhoun

Brian & Sara are very dear to my heart. We met them when Brian became a Pastor at a church near our old house in Jacksonville. At the time I was a new mother & was praying for a Godly babysitter for Roman. Our plan was for me to return to work for one year. God blessed us with Sara, first as our babysitter then as one of the best friends I could ask for. They now live in Molino, FL where Brian continues to Pastor. Praise the Lord for this sweet family!

These two boys belong to an old friend of mine from my working days at Florida Oncology Associates. Victoria was in the insurance department & I was in human resources/payroll. A friendship formed which continued on even after we were both stay at home moms. We used to get together weekly when Trent (the older boy pictured) & Roman were just babies. Victoria probably even remembers Tyler (from above) because he was always there on our playdates. I miss these days but enjoy the days I'm in now too.

Dylan, Dayna & Gavin Buik

Dylan is Nick's oldest sibling's son. Here he is pictured with his beautiful wife & their 1yr old son Gavin. They live in Southern California, which is where most of Nick's family is.

What do you do with the picture cards after Christmas? I feel weird thowing them away. This is what I do:

LOOK closely, you might see your family! Plus a few added extras to fill in the space. I didn't get as many picture cards this year so I'll have to make a smaller collage.

Christmas Card Ettiquite: My mom taught me to keep a list & check it twice. I use Excel to help me. Each year I have a list of cards I 'Sent' & 'Received'. I check off all cards going out & coming in. Cards received from people that are not on my list will get added & they will start receiving cards from us as well. If I get a card from someone new a few days before Christmas I usually do not send them one until the next year. Usually I will remove people if we're out of contact or if they have moved from our Sunday School class to another, but add them back on if we still receive a card from them. I'm not sure if this is 'proper' & I'd love to know what Martha Stewart has to say on the issue but the system works pretty good for me. Thanks Mom! (I use this same spreadsheet to list gifts received & thank you cards sent.)

Ecards for Christmas? NO WAY! Stick with the hard copies. I bought ours from Sam's Wholesale Warehouse this year and got them within a few days. I paid $15 for 100!! Rule of thumb; plan on having your cards ready to mail/hand out the weekend after Thanksgiving. The closer you get to Christmas the busier your schedule gets.

Raise your hand if you saw your picture on our 2008 collage!