The pile of unwritten Christmas cards eyeing me disdainfully from the shelf …

[MistletoeRegrets]

What is the matter with me? Every year I discover an irresistible new source of fabulous cards. Every New Year I pack away 99% of them in the cupboard of shame.

This year I was determined to have them all posted by the 5th December. It took me until the 10th to realise I’d left my fountain pen in someone else’s house and will need a replacement. I just can’t be bothered now …

I hammered mine out with a ball point pen of shame 😁

Have you seen the price of stamps?
Cards are pointless, just put them in the recycle bin.
(Cut out the middle man step of writing, paying to post them, and them going in the bin at someone else's house)

I will not write them with a biro!

I have seen the price of stamps. That’s why I was determined to get all the cards posted before the horror of it had properly sunk in.

Are they even a thing now? A few to older relatives and the rest is a seasonal social media or email. Free yourself.

Besides which, postage is just too much.

I did mine on Monday. The list gets smaller each year. I haven’t bought any cards for a couple of years now as I’ve got so many left over.

There will be someone who will pop up soon to say that they bin them straight away as they don’t want the clutter.

Ah well, it is risky to let standards slip. No doubt I have sealed my fate and I'll have descended to such depths that I'll be doing the Christmas shop dressed in my pjs and slippers now. At least I got my cards out though!

Toteme has you covered, @ByMerryKoala:

https://int.toteme.com/products/monogram-flannel-pj-top-smoke-melange

You’ll be wondrously stylish wafting along the Tesco aisles.

Oh, I'd save them for Waitrose best.

If you haven't sent them by now then I wouldn't bother.

I’ve set myself a deadline of 15th to finish writing my cards, then all in the post first thing Monday morning. Plenty of time, and if it goes down to the wire, I’ll stay up late on Sun, till I’ve got them all done. The relief!

Don’t …

Even my notoriously slow to deliver wine supplier is putting me to shame. Ordered a case this morning and it’s already dispatched and coming tomorrow. (Apparently.)

As I’ll have to be at home for that I’ve ordered a cheap Parker from Amazon. (I swear it costs less than my equivalent First Proper Pen in the 70s.) Friday - Post Office. As long as I don’t talk myself into adding a book of stamps to next Sunday’s Ocado delivery instead.

(In my defence, weeks of relentless virus have left me with a low tolerance for errands. Only celebratory lunches or carol services can tempt me out at the moment.)

All sent! (Apart from one I’ll take with me on Christmas Eve.) Most posted last Sunday, last few either posted or delivered today. I am feeling ridiculously virtuous - and won’t have to send any grovelling emails over the weekend.