Card business

Our family has a tradition of sending out handmade christmas cards each year. We sit down, have a few mugs of glögi (spiced red wine), listen to christmas music and just cut and glue away. Often this happens on the night before the last date of getting them spent out on time but we just crank up the factory and get them out.

We've done this as long as we've been together with my husband - except for last year when due to the exhaustion of working on my christmas book we skipped handmade christmas cards altogether. And didn't even feel bad about it! (My husband probably did as he gathered up some ready-made cards and sent them to the most important people.). See, I believe nothing about christmas should be an obligation. If you don't feel like sending cards, by all means don't send any.

But I really like christmas mail. I love getting cards and I enjoy sending them. This year I started early. Usually we send out just one type of card, so I did a test run on few of the ideas I had. We've probably always used white as a background, it gives a simple look. As you can see, I've fallen in love with paper punches.



The four little gingerbread cookies on a silver cookie sheet represent the four members of our family.

I like to do stuff like this. When Anna was born, we sent out cards with two large elf's hats and one small - to symbolize the birth of a new member to our family. When Matti was born, we had four silver stars on the card. I don't know if any of the receivers ever noticed these things I perceive as clever though.



Running up that hill to the bright new year? So if we did this card as our family card, I'd put four cars instead of these five.



And maybe there's snow outside? The same way I'd hang four pairs of mittens on the line. Call me silly but I'd just have to do so. I couldn't leave anybody out.