BellaOnline Forums Relationships Married No Kids Holiday cards

I agree - I like getting the family photos rather than just the kiddies, even though I do enjoy seeing them, too. It does irk me that people can't bother to even sign those, though, or at least write on the back "Jimmy, age 6" or something. And I don't mind the Christmas letters, either, except when they run more than a page (yikes)! Oh, and the creepy letter from my BFF/husband a couple years ago when they were trying to have a baby.... and they had some comment about "having fun trying" in their letter -- ewww! I couldn't believe she put that in a Christmas letter (I don't think she meant it the way it sounded, but obviously didn't reread it before she sent them).

We did fam. photos a couple years ago with us and our bunnies. They were professional, done at a studio, in front of a tree. I sent them in all our cards. Figured, why not!

so are the muffins

What a great thread! DH and I were just talking about this. I probably got half a dozen of those kinds of cards....kids only, no note. And most of them had really bad pics, too, LOL! Some of the kids were just really unattractive...I felt bad for them!

I got one from a CF friend of her and her hubby which was really nice....and it had a lovely handwritten note with it. Of course, she wasn't so frazzled that all she had time for was to stick it in an envelope and get it mailed. AND she and her hubby looked great. I'm sure some parents don't get in the picture because they don't want to show themselves (not that I'm very keen on having my picture taken either).

My husband asked me about this very thing yesterday, saying he'd really like to see the parents, too. I said didn't he know that it's because in our society, adults don't matter (sarcasm). And I agree, Jez, in this age of digital cameras, why are some of these pictures so awful?? If I couldn't get a decent picture, I'd give up and send a regular card rather than a hideous picture of my kid! And these are cute kids, too, in real life.

A friend I haven't seen in over 20 years asked me to send her a picture. So hubby set up the tripod and we took a picture of ourselves in front of the fireplace. We took four or five until we got an acceptable one. When we printed it out we wrote "Christmas 2007" on it, but I suggested we write "This is how relaxed people with no kids look!" We only sent the picture to my friend, but I think next year we should take an exciting vacation picture so people can see us and what we've been up to. Why not?

Okay, got the daily batch of Christmas cards, and looked at them with this thread in mind.

Got two copies of the same card from friend who had a baby last month...printed with family's names, no signature. Obviously sent directly from Shutterfly, came in computer-generated envelopes. Oops on Shutterfly's part for sending two, I guess. Pictures of baby and mom on cards, obviously.

Got a card from friends of DH with a photo of their young twins on it. Picture was taken on a beach. Daughter was half out of the picture, but her youngster bikini bottom was sitting dangerously low in front (I thought). Son was squinching up his face. I didn't think it was a very good picture, actually. Maybe they were in a rush to pick one, and just closed their eyes and pointed at one in the pile, and chose that. They actually did a pretty cute card with the twins on it a couple years ago, that I thought was clever. Not this year.

Cindy

I gave one of my coworkers a hard time a few years ago (she has a good sense of humor) about having only pictures of her two sons on her desk, and none of her husband. I pointed out to her that she must have had help MAKING those kids...LOL! Not long after she brought a picture of herself and her husband to put on her desk, mainly to stop me teasing her, I think!

Cindy

Cindy:

I see that so often at work. People have tons of pictures of their kids, but I would have no idea what their spouses looked like unless I had actually met them. Honestly, I think it's kind of sad. You always hear, "my kids come first!" But truly, they didn't. Your spouse was there first, and now s/he isn't as important? You got what you wanted (an offspring) and now s/he can take the backseat? It seems to me that the very best parents always put their spouses first. Their kids have more respect for them.

Jez,

I know what you mean. Is it any surprise the divorce rate is so high, with that kind of mentality? My parents weren't that way, and they've been married over 40 years. They always made time for themselves as a couple, and my brother and I never suffered for it. They were the adults, and they ran the family, not the kids. We moved several times when I was a kid, due to my dad's job opportunities, and there was never the worry "Oh, the poor kids, they're leaving their school and friends they're used to and will have to start a new school and make new friends." like you see now. It was tough but we dealt with it.

Cindy

Cindy:

My parents were that way, too. My parents were a united front. I didn't get a "no" from my mom and then go to dad to try to get a "yes." I knew better.

So much is backward today. Just taking a quick look at True Mom Confessions really highlights this, as does the attitude of the Gen-Y employees in the workplace today. They truly believe the world revolves around them. Not ALL of them, of course, but it's a definite pattern/trend.

I do enjoy holiday cards that have a letter that updates on what the people sending the card have been up to, and pictures are nice, but I agree - sending cards with just the kids on them is not as interesting to those of us who haven't met the kids themselves!

My DH & I have joked about how we would like to send out a picture of us with all the kitties (trying to get them all to sit still and be in a picture together with us at one time would be problematic), and last year, due to having quite a few bad things happen in the last half of the year, we thought about sending out a sarcastic letter telling all about our mostly bad year, but thought better of it. Sometimes life is great, and sometimes it's not....