Welcome to the Christmas Cards I Write

I am, however, not dreaming of a white Christmas. I hope any and all snows stays far, far away from the Old Dominion for the next two weeks.

I freely admit that I love letter writing and having pen pals. I’ve had a few over the years and currently maintain regular corespondents with three people. It’s fun to read up on what people are doing with their lives, how things change, and (most important) what they are reading.

As the holidays draw close, though, I compile a list of family I am unlikely to see and some close friends (whom I have addresses for) to send Holiday cards to. Many of them are Christmas themed, but some of the recipients don’t celebrate that Christmas, so I try to include more winter themes.

This year I decided to punish challenge myself by hand painting all of the cards I sent out. The last batch will hopefully go out tomorrow. Normally, I buy cards (after the holidays so there’s a discount) and include a painting that I created over the year as a small gift. Since I started doing this, a few of my cousins felt that the paintings themselves should be the cards.

Well, I wasn’t all that thrilled by my miniature paintings this year. They weren’t festive enough for this time of year. Or I didn’t think they were good enough to send to other people. Or I liked them too much (that happens sometimes).

So I got out the paints, bought a bunch of envelops, and set to work.

It’s been a relaxing way to spend the run up to the final holidays of the year. I’ve even gotten a few cards in return.

Though card and letter writing has mostly fallen out of fashion, I find it a small treat to open my mailbox and find something from a friend rather than more advertisements. There’s some thing relaxing and intimate when it comes to writing letters of any kind - which is why I still enjoy writing my Holiday cards.

It’s one way to remind someone that you’re thinking of them.

Do you enjoy writing letters or sending out Holiday cards? What about receiving them? Have you ever had a pen pal? Do you still keep in touch with them?

It’s the season for togetherness and sometimes the only way to do that is through a small note or card wishing someone a happy new year.

See y’all in 2023. It’s only two Sundays away.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope y’all like hearing from me.

Welcome To the Christmas Classic

Merry Christmas! I hope everyone had a peaceful day (and was on the nice list). Since its Christmas, I won't write anything super long. After allowed want to spend time with family and friends.

That's why I'm going to list my top ten favorite Christmas movie classics. Many are movies or shorts that you've probably heard of, but there might be a few you haven't seen or thought of as Christmas movies. So if you need a break from everyone or just want to find the right movie tonight, please enjoy my Christmas movie classic list.

10) Miricle on 34th Street (original) - I put this movie higher on my list because it's more of a Thanksgiving movie for me rather than a Christmas one. It's the movie I watch with my family to signal that it's the start of the Christmas season. I know there's a 1994 remake of this movie, but I personally think that nothing beats the original.

9) The Santa Clause - I remember when this movie came out. It was funny and I thought it was cool that the guy from Home Improvement started in it.

8) White Christmas - I love the music and dancing in this movie. It helps me to remember to "go to sleep counting my blessings".

7) Christmas Vacation - even if everything goes wrong you can still have an amazing Christmas.

6) A Christmas Carol - The one with George C Scott has definitely grown on me over the years, but I also love the Mickey Mouse version with Scrooge McDuck as Scrooge and the Muppets version is also a treat to watch. It's hard to go wrong with any version.

5) A Charlie Brown Christmas - It's a classic enough said.

4) The Thin Man - Not many people might know this movie (it came out in 1934). It's a really funny murder mystery that takes place in New York at Christmas and though Christmas isn't the focus of the movie, the main characters throw a fabulous party and are shown opening their presents.

3) A Christmas Story - I love watching this with my dad. He has told me that it's very close to what his childhood was like. It's also hard to not feel bad for Ralfie when he is forced to put on the pink bunny suit.

2) How the Grinch Stole Christmas - The animated one that's 25 minutes long, not the live action one. There's just something so amazing watching this movie. It's short, has fun music, catchy songs, and a sweet moral. I'm pretty sure I have the whole thing memorized.

1) We're No Angles - This movie really needs more recognition, especially as a Christmas classic. It's got Humphrey Bogart playing the leader of three escaped convicts trying to escape Devil's Island on Christmas. They come across a shop keeper and his family down on their luck, while their nasty cousin (played by the original Scherlock) threatens to ruin the shop keeper. The three escaped convicts initially plan on robbing the shop keeper, but things take a turn after several hilarious incidents. Seriously check this movie out. It is one of the best Christmas movies out there.

There are a ton of Christmas movies to watch and more come out each year. These are just the ones that I enjoy watching. You don't have to agree with me (in fact I might have left some favorites out), but these are the movies for this time of year dearest to my heart.

Merry Christmas everyone!

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope you guys like hearing from me. Until next week.