Holiday Greeting Guilt

I appreciate everyone who sent Christmas cards to me in the past month – and all I can do is apologize. I still haven’t written, addressed or mailed a single holiday greeting.

It’s a ritual I usually cherish, but this season has upended life and tradition for several reasons.

First, I relocated to central California mid-December. They may have gotten feet of snow in the Sierras, but where I am, it’s been day after chilly day of rain and wind. Here, it didn’t look or feel like Christmas.

To hear the meteorologists on the local news, everyone is thrilled about the rain, as the state has been mired in a desperately long drought. Still, there’s been no weather-related motivation for card-writing.

Second, I moved to be close to my son, his wife and my new grandson – who was born less than two weeks ago! I wanted to wait until I had all the baby particulars to share with the folks on my card list.

(An important aside: I won’t be posting a bunch of photos, here or anywhere else, out of respect for the young family’s privacy. But trust me – he is adorable.)

And third – well, it’s been another COVID year. I don’t know about you, but I’m amazed that we’ve slogged through a second year and are hurtling into a third. Perhaps hurtling isn’t the right term; for me, it feels more like creeping.

And I’m not the only person who felt this Christmas was “not merry – at least not in the usual way.” So, if you’ve been waiting for my annual greeting, I applaud your patience. It’s coming! Think of it as an early valentine.