mizarchivist

What your answers don't capture here is the *guilt*. Oh god, someone sent me a card, and I have No Intention of reciprocating because I cannot cope with one more social obligation no matter how tiny in the month of December, on the other hand I really am glad to hear about them and their new baby/house/car/job/dog/hamster/plastic surgery/college graduation, on the other other hand if I don't write back they will think I don't love them and if I put this all off to January it only all gets worse.

Also: for myself finding a holiday card that acknowledges the winter holidays without pretending to hold some religious view that I don't have and yet honoring the spiritual importance of the winter holidays to others and even sometimes to me and yet isn't tacky or sentimental or stupid -- not so easy.

Also if I did commit myself to sending cards -- the cost mounts up pretty fast.

Last year I decided that I wanted to make my new personal tradition sending spring equinox cards and using 3/21 as a benchmark date for catching up with all my friends and relations; however March was Health Crisis Month and I punted that plan.

I think this was probably more answer than you were looking for, sorry bout that.