The Holiday Card Dilemma

How long is long enough for a Christmas card to be sent out picturing you and your significant other? Remember on Friends when Mona wanted to send a Christmas card out together with Ross after dating for two months? In the book of Michael Cherbonneau, Rule #64, "Thou shalt not send picture Christmas cards until thou are engaged." And so, after 6.5 years of dating, the photo shoot began.

Don't get me wrong. I always send out Holiday cards, and over the last two or three years have included some of our mutual friends. The difference is the PICTURE. Somehow or other, this makes the relationship more real and maybe begins to question the future. Regardless, Mike and I decided to send out Holiday Cards/Save the Dates together in one. Perfect idea - people have to stare at our faces for a month while reading over and over again when they should be planning to arrive at our wedding. The only problem is...December got a little crazy. By the time we got the tree up and decorated, it was December 15. Keep in mind, I like to have my cards out by the 5th of December, and was feeling extremely anxious with this 10 day extension.

I changed into my red dress, while Mike dressed in a button down and slacks. (Does anyone say slacks anymore? I am bringing it back.) As I applied the last touch, some red lipstick, I realized, "We have no one to take this picture!" If you recall, we don't have a lot of friends in the building as they all have at least 30 years on us. I trudged next door to our neighbors who we do see in passing, but I did back into their car. Things could go either way. After knocking twice, I considered who else's life I could interrupt for 30 minutes. The lady down the hall with a seeing eye dog and "prescription" marijuana? Our nosey friend Cookie, who would surely then believe she was invited to the wedding...or Elyse, the immigrant from West Germany who told us she likes to kill the rabbits with her shovel in the spring because they ruin her garden. Thank goodness my normal neighbor, Cathy finally opened up.

She looked me up and down and I watched the wheels turn in her head. "Why is she so dressed up at 2:30 on Tuesday afternoon?" "Do you think they want us to go get dinner with them? We hardly know them." "Are they going to make me keep their dang cat again?" When I finally explained that we needed a photographer, she jumped at the bit. She even offered her tripod, but I thought that would be a bit much. She entered our condo to find all the ornament boxes pushed to one side of the living room so they would be out of the way of the picture.

I gave her my camera, which she quickly took two or three shots from and decided it was not worthy. She informed us she was going to her camera because it was "easier to operate." The camera was a monster, but took some great photos and left us with a lot to choose from. She had us standing up, sitting down, beside the tree, etc. She was so helpful and later dropped off a bottle of champagne to celebrate our engagement. I have decided they are our new best friends in the building.

I uploaded the pictures to my computer and then realized that is about as far as my knowledge extends in the world of pictures and creations. I finally figured out Snapfish and ordered 300 Save the Dates. Wow!? You may be thinking. 600 guests is a lot to expect. Well, yes it is, but I continue to want to send an invitation to everyone, rather than just one part of the couple. I tried to do the same thing with our actual invitations, but my mother was there to stop me. So now we have 150 extra pictures of us hanging out by the tree. If you want to frame one in your house, you are more than welcome to it!

Hope everyone is having a happy holiday season and not putting off your shopping until the last minute like me!