Night Owl Cards

The other day, much to my relief, the post office employee handed me my receipt and said, "it should get there by the 23rd." I was shipping out my Secret Santa card package, doing something I vow never to do -- stand in a post office line a week before Christmas. But I had fallen behind and was making a last-ditch effort to get my Secret Santa package out in time for Christmas Day opening. So I queued up with some jollyish people -- including an old man loudly flirting with a woman 40 years younger than him (when he left, the woman said, "I'm going to punch him out.") -- and zipped out of there quicker than I thought I would. And it was all worth it to hear that the cards would arrive by the 23rd. Whether they did or not, I may or may not find out. That's up to the recipient. As for me, I don't know whether I've received my Secret Santa gift. None of the packages I've received have identified them as such. And most of the packages I'...

All of my Christmas shopping is done. Even more impressively, all of my Christmas wrapping is done. The latter is a four-hour marathon of incompetence, so to actually rid myself of that whole embarrassment is something to celebrate. But I'm not as impressive as some of you people out there. You know who you are. The ones who send me cards that arrive immediately before the holiday, as if they're Christmas gifts or something. Some of you even write festive things on the notes with the package, like "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Holidays." You're all so on top of everything. Meanwhile, I've halted card shipping because of a Pre-Christmas Post Office Phobia. There won't be any "Merry Christmas, You Wonderful Blogger" notes from me because I can't get out from under the holiday. But please note that I think you're all terrific. And, much, much, much better shoppers than I. So let's see what arrived amid all the ribbons ...