RSVP

I'll give you the ending of the story at the start: teach your children to RSVP.

Today was the Christmas party for the social service organization with which I work. I love this group. We are on the ground making a difference in the lives of preschool children and seniors...working hard and not looking for recognition. THAT is what is important, here.

However....

I offered last May to have the Christmas party at my house. Good news...decorations are up and the house looks awesome. Bad news...nothing else is done. Volunteeroholics, heed my warning: do not, under any circumstances, offer to have a holiday party for any organization! You know how it is...no one has signed up, so you feel bad, and you put your name on the blank line. Don't do it in December. Take February....that's a nice, calm month.

Last time I had the group over was two years ago, and we had 60 people. That's a lot of brunch stratas. This time, the days kept creeping closer to the party with no indication of how many will arrive. We send out a monthly newsletter....it clearly stated that I was the host, but...an oversight of mine...we didn't say RSVP. We sent a follow-up email saying RSVP regrets only. Only three women did. So, with an organization of 35 active members and a list of associate members around 100, I had no idea what to expect.

So, back to the beginning of the post. The take-away is to teach your children to RSVP. We had food for 60 but 28 attended. Five stratas are going to the community center tomorrow for our seniors, so all is well. The kicker....my husband was so upset that I didn't keep one of the casseroles for dinner that I had to make another one for tonight's dinner. If I never see another strata again, I'll be a happy girl.

So...it took me 5 years to get this done.

Yes, my in-law's 50th wedding anniversary was in 2007. So, shoot me. I've been busy...working in the school library, feeding hungry seniors, teaching underservered preschoolers, fighting for a referendum for our school, serving as PTO president FOREVER....

It struck me as odd and, yes, even rude when my in-laws asked if I ever developed the pictures from their anniversary party. Well, I could have just handed them the CD's, but really...do you think they'd know what to do with them? They haven't figured out the digital camera and printer we got them for Christmas two years ago.

Thank goodness for the conveniences of the internet. Shutterfly...here are the pictures, put them in a book for me. Oh, and have that delivered to my home before Christmas, if you don't mind. Now, I can get back to wrapping gifts for the preschoolers at the Community Center. I love my in-laws, but these kiddos need clothes more than the picture book. Sometimes we all just need to let go and spend our time on the things (and the people) who really need us most.

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The Christmas Card....in between all the other commitments

Is it really possible to get it all done at holidays? No. After years of trying to out-do myself on our Christmas card, I gave in to the make-it-online set.

What pushed me over the edge is that last year I nearly gave myself ulcers trying to come up with something new. I finally realized (although my husband hasn't) that this pressure to perform beyond regular holiday standards was put upon myself (well, and my husband...he loves hearing the praises of "how clever you all are!"). I don't need praise...I need time.

I actually analyzed my 2010 holiday card collection. Of the 114 cards we receive, this is how they break down:
51 were made online or in the store (Shutterfly, Walgreens, Walmart, Tiny Prints, etc.)
41 were store-bought cards (33 families just signed their name...no updates, pictures of info)
14 were cards with newsletters
6 were home-made
2 came via email

So, does this mean anything? To be honest, I cherish everyone of those cards because there is a person or a family who took either 10 seconds or 10 hours to tell me that I am a friend. I'm thankful for the newsletters and pictures to know how my friends are doing, but the act of contacting me at all is a gift. Christmas cards are a hand reaching out to say, "I want to be in your life again this year." What a blessing.

Classic Lime 5x7 folded card

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