Another journal

I’ve been really good on blogging every week, and often getting it in by Thursday (I feel like using the stay-up-later ability of Friday is kind of like cheating? like getting an assignment in at the last minute). This week, instead of thinking of a thing to blog about I have been using up all the brain meat on working on holiday presents. It’s a whole THING for us.

We used to make mix CDs with cool paper cases and give those to friends, there were some very cool themes. I don’t have them well-documented but here’s an old post about two of them! Then one year we made a soundtrack for a movie that never existed and sent them in DVD cases with a minicomic (which you can read here) and I made a fake google alerts printout about this imaginary movie and everything.

After this one, we reduced the number of folks who got gifts and also moved away from mix CDs as less people had ways to play CDs (wild times!). We moved to a cool card and then, for a handful of closer folks, a tuck-in of some kind. The cards have varied from normal folded cards that I got printed at a place, to smaller ones more like post cards that we print at home, to the year we did full on linocuts.

The tuck-ins have ranged from a mini colouring book to a phenakistoscope, which was a fun build. I try to not do something that has a HUGE time investment every year, but sometimes the assembly is so fun, even when its fussy. I blogged about the phenakistoscope here (and there’s a link to go make your own from there). Hate when I make something that is like: I can’t top this, sorry.

It’s like, we do about 50 cards, about 25 of those have a tuck-in, and then about 12 of those have a more personal gift (which ranges within themes across the whole group like its a kids birthday party–it’s been everything from nostalgic school supplies to a series of prints from an artist to pamphlet binds of short stories).

I am from the kind of family where there are so, so many cousins, so this sort of approach feels natural. Things get mailed out in January because that’s what aligns with the holiday I celebrate and also it’s so much nicer to not be part of the rush of mail mail mail, gift gift gift (my dentist and I have bonded over the pros of celebrating in January, an unexpected moment).

Anyway, this year will be fun? I hope! I have the card done, we have to go get more printer ink, also a specific paper for something. I have to finish 12 craft items, print the things, assemble, write notes (all of those 50 cards get something! I am not mailing you if I don’t love you, so I am writing something, even if my hand hates me for it). It’s a mad rush of joy that reminds me why the darkest of winter can be full of feast days–and I have so many wonderful people in so many places, I welcome the project of cards and gifts every year. The chance to send a little joy to my friends and family is a precious thing, especially as someone who can’t remember birthdays, even with reminders.

Maybe I can’t have everyone over to feed them, one of those all-day meals with people breaking up into groups around the house, moving and snacking and playing video games and petting the cat. But I can send you a card.