A Christmas Card (2010)

I have received about five Christmas cards this year. One was from my brother, and was especially bleak. I know he writes with some humor, but I suspect the grain of truth amidst that humor, is a larger grain this year, perhaps even a small crust. He reminds me to live it up every day for the next couple of years, as the world is coming to an end in 2012. I wonder if he has seen the television trailers for the movie “2012”, starring John Cusak, and is attempting to be funny. I worry that he hasn't seen these trailers.

The second card arrived several days later, and was from Carl Pope of the Sierra Club. I was seriously impressed. Although Mr. Pope and I have never met, when my bank account was seriously flush, I had automatic drafts sent every month in a rather modest amount to support this fine non-profit. Now that my account is more often overdrawn than not, I have limited my charitable giving to handing out sandwiches to the homeless that knock on the door, cold and hungry after a night of tromping about without shelter, and to children who beg with their dogs at the local market. I hate to see hungry dogs. It appears, however, that Mr. Pope has not caught up with my economic downturn, and has employed a volunteer to hand write the envelope, the card inside, and even go so far as to stamp the return envelope with genuine U.S. Stamps that I have saved for another purpose. He writes, “...your continuing support is especially important in 2010 because our contributions are lagging due to the economic downturn.” Amen brother.

I received a third from the Oregon Humane Society, with a printed message on the outside which reads, “End Petlessness. There's a furry soulmate for everyone.” Now this one particularly ripped my heart out because we had to put our large Burnese Mountain dog Monroe to sleep on Thanksgiving and he was indeed our furry soulmate. I have another furry soulmate in my cat Amelia, who you may have heard about before as she is the frequent topic of my writing. Nonetheless, the Christmas card planted the seed that we were now indeed suffering from doglessness, and something had to be done about it. So, I get on the phone to one of my best friends who has an aging blind dog named Bear. Bear has not been supremely happy about the arrival of children in their household and is quite verbal about that. Bear has come to visit. For an undetermined length of time. Which is just fine with us. I believe we have this Christmas card to thank for it.

The other two cards were from friends. One was a photo with their two furry friends and the other, simply wished us a merry Christmas and Happy New Year, both of which I hope we will have. I have some Christmas Cards hanging out in my stationary suitcase, along with some stamps (thank you Sierra Club) and I plan to send cards to all of those who wrote to us, and a few more to those who didn't. I won't be sending checks this year to either of the non-profits that sent us cards, but I will thank them kindly both for their holiday wishes and their missions and will promise them future lottery earnings.

I wish all of you a merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, and good fortune and happiness on any holiday you celebrate during this winter month. May the recession be short, the health bill actually turn out to be fair, and may you and your loved ones stay warm and well during his holiday season.

And yes, I will pray for world peace.