Christmas Cards

Yesterday, I received my very first Christmas card of the season! I got a heads up that it was coming, but it honestly slipped my mind until I saw it sparkling in my mailbox today. It took all my restraint not to open it right there and then. I even managed to take off my shoes and jacket before ripping it open! Well worth the wait, the message inside made me smile and go Aww (Sorry, not sharing the details)!

Last year was the first time I had ever mailed out Christmas cards. In between baking Christmas cookies and drinking a bottle of wine, I went to town on a large stack of them. I honestly can't recall what I wrote in any of them, but I heard good reviews. Although, I know I made a few faux pas - I mistakenly spelled one person's last name wrong and wrote "Douche Bag" as the addressee on another (my bad!). Every time I receive a card in the mail, I'm ecstatic. I don't get very much mail, other than flyers, the occasional bill and death threat, so getting Addressed Mail with sparkles and lovely messages is a rather fantastic event in my world. That being said, I assume that most other people like getting Christmas cards too. If you think otherwise, please do not burst my bubble - I am sending the damn things out regardless.

Originally, I thought to get super Martha Stewarty and make homemade cards, and then I looked around and realized it would cost me a million dollars and take a billion hours. I struck that idea from the list and am going to buy a set of Already Done, Sparkly, Wonderfully Cheerful Cards from wherever they are on sale. I am going to drink a Winter Ale or two, or maybe some red wine, and hopefully write some nice things to my friends.

If you are lucky you just might see one in your mail box soon:) 

PS, here is a picture of my Christmas tree. I went with pink, purple and blue this year. Everything, including my entire condo, is now covered in sparkles. Tis the Season!

 

Long Live The Shelly

I don't know when it started, but this habit slowly creeped up on me - I am a slave to the idea that I will die unexpectedly.

In the shower I always expect to slip and smash my head on the tile and end up in a crumpled pile in my bathtub bleeding profusely with nobody around to find me. At every intersection I picture someone crashing into me, demolishing my car and ending my life. Walking down the stairs at work, I imagine missing a step and then the preceding tumble down a flight of stairs. I picture hurricanes and earthquakes and zombie attacks and cancer, all of which will inevitably do me in.

In response to this negative mindset I've adopted, I have started making provisions. Making my bed, not leaving dishes in the sink, keeping my car tidy, ensuring my finances and corresponding paperwork are in order, putting my dirty laundry in the basket, and not storing excessive amounts of junk at my condo... These are just some of the things I do on the chance that I die unexpectedly.

I have literally had my hand on the door knob to go out and have had this thought hit me - "My dirty dishes are in the sink - what if I die and the police have to come to my condo?! They will think I'm a slob!"

I picture my funeral and how sad it will be. I guess at who will speak and who will No Show. I imagine their outfits and guess at the flower colors. I hope there are no lilies. I hope they bury me in sweatpants. God knows I don't want to be in a dress and heels for eternity. 

It hit me the other day that this mindset is definitely an issue and I find that if I blog about something I am then answerable to it. Hopefully writing this will stop the negative thoughts, or at least make me more conscious of them. I am not ready to die. Long Live The Shelly.