Thursday was cloudy and cool, with a high in the mid-50s. I concentrated on getting my holiday greeting cards written and ready for mailing. I got the overseas cards ready, first, especially the ones going to Sri Lanka, because mail going to Sri Lanka has been hit or miss, recently, depending on if flights are suspended or not. Friend R said most of her cards to her family have gone, but, some people haven't received theirs even though she mailed the cards at the same time and they were going to the same address! Anyway, I managed to give the card I was sending to my half-brother to the letter carrier, so, hopefully, it will reach my brother before the New Year or, at least before next Christmas! LOL! Then, I began on the cards going to family and friends in the U.S.
I bought a box of assorted holiday greeting cards a couple of years ago and I have almost come to the end of the box! I usually buy the following year's cards during the after Christmas sales, but, with our current new Covid case numbers increasing (Thursday's new Covid case numbers for my county was 2,275 confirmed cases), I am wondering if I will venture out to shop any after Christmas sales! I guess holiday greeting cards will be the next item I'll be buying online!
I also made a couple of cards to send to one or two friends and family members. I enjoyed making those and I plan to make a few more, tomorrow.
Today, I am grateful for:
- The letter carrier collecting my cards from the mail box
- Card making ideas and supplies
- Phone calls with family and friends
- A working heater
- Warm, handknitted sweaters
Today's joyful activity was singing Christmas carols with my daughter.
Plans for tomorrow include making more cards, having M tend to the garden, and doing some housekeeping tasks.
How was your Thursday? What are your plans for Friday?
We are usually informed by Royal Mail of last posting dates for letters and parcels but I had mine done and posted early this year. I can well imagine overseas mail being hit and miss right now. I think most people buy their cards in the January sales bit probably not this year. I'm waiting for a notification of a click and collect order being ready as my last parcel was delivered to the wrong address and it was annoying trying to hunt it down.
ReplyDeleteWell done getting your cards in the mail, early, Eileen. There was one year when I had my holiday cards written and addressed by the end of November, but, that was the only year I managed to do so! Flights to Sri Lanka depend on Covid restrictions, right now (and if the postal service there is functioning or not!) One takes ones chances and hope for the best! :D I hope you are able to collect your parcel without any problems, this time. :) Hope all is well with your and yours, Eileen, as you go into the holiday season.
DeleteI think for most sensible people, a lot of the run up to Christmas will not have to be online or halted. This Omicron is SO infectious. Our health unit has advised us to up the mask quality to 3 layers & tight fitting around the nose & chin. We haven't lifted the mandatory mask wearing since March 2020, thankfully. Happy weekend & fingers crossed that perhaps the online after Christmas sales will snag you a box or two of pretty cards :)
ReplyDeleteThank goodness that we have the ability to shop online and things are still being delivered! California has reinstated the indoor mask mandate (not without some grumblings from some people). My daughter and I were starting to think that maybe it is time to venture out a bit more, but, I think we will continue to avoid going out and about as much as we can! What I really should do, next year, is start making my cards a bit earlier in the year, but, I say that, every year! LOL!
DeleteI think we're having the same weather you're having except we say that it's warm instead of cool. :)
ReplyDeleteLOL. It's all relative, isn't it? :D I remember back when I was in Wisconsin, in the fall, 40F felt cold, but, in the spring, 40F felt warm! :D
DeleteThe meeting organised by friend H to set the photography challenge for next year will be starting in about 15 minutes and I'll get to open the package she sent. 😀
ReplyDeleteApart from that I've walked to the PO to send a couple of parcels and have joined in with the book group. Mostly I have been pottering, playing the piano, and a bit of tidying up.
It's a lovely quiet day and I hope yours has been as good x
Oh, how exciting! I hope the meeting with H went well and you now know what was in the package!
DeleteSounds like you've had a good day, so far. Quite productive, too.
I've been caught up in a bit of family drama concerning a cousin who is not answering her phone and other cousins calling me to find out if I've heard from the non-answering cousin. Other than that, it's been a relatively slow morning. :)
I do hope your cards make it to their destinations! I have had problems with things going missing lately. (Two domestic letters, and one card to the USA, earlier in the year.) I don't know about the reliability of the Sri Lankan post office, but I am quite used to things which are sent to or from India never arriving. We never send parcels there, because they so often go astray, and when I was there my cousins made me take my postcards to the main post office and get the stamps franked/cancelled in my presence - if not, apparently uncancelled stamps would often be steamed off and stolen! In a way, it is sad that people would be so desparate (hopefully desparate and not just dishonest anyway).
ReplyDeleteThank you, Lady Ella. There was a time when international flights to SL were cancelled (during the height of Covid) and postal services in the country might have been disrupted, too. Parcels have to be collected from customs at the other end and I guess they have to pay taxes on them. I know my friend R sends packages to her daughters on a regular basis, but, I really don't have anyone there to send packages, too. I've heard that foreign mail is often undelivered because someone wanted to collect the stamps (stamp collecting was a big hobby, there, at one time) or letters were stolen to see if they included money! I make it a point to write, "Card Only" on the cards I send!
DeleteThis year I didn't have a single leftover card and I ordered some from a Christian community some distance from here. It wasn't frugal, with the postage, but I liked their designs so much and I was happy to support them.
ReplyDeleteWe had gales last night and the power went off again, this time for about 13 hours. It came back this morning while I was out visiting with my friend and having our present swap. A tree had come down across our road but was already removed by the time I went out.
I'm glad you found some cards you liked and was able to support the community behind the cards, Bushlady.
DeleteSounds like you had quite a wind storm! Sorry to hear the power went out, but, I know you have a generator for such times. Glad the tree was removed by the time you went out and you were able to meet with your friends to exchange gifts. :)
Card writing is one of those activities that, although enjoyable, usually takes far longer than anticipated. I bought more than I intended this year, the store had some boxes on a three for two offer. X
ReplyDeleteIt does take time to write them out, doesn't it? Especially when one is writing a note in each one. Sounds like you are well set for cards for next year! :)
DeleteOne year when I wrote my Christmas cards, I wrote a second card for the same person then I tucked all the extras away and the following year, Voila! I had all of my cards written. I didn't seal them up the previous year so I would be able to include anything new that I wanted to write but I don't recall needing to do that. I just mailed them :)
ReplyDeleteI never did it again because it felt like cheating. lol
Although I'm not sure why.
lol - remembering that I did that still makes me laugh.
Yes, things are getting worse again with the virus. It's just all so concerning.
Now that's what I call planning ahead! :D What a great idea! With my luck, I'll forget where I put the cards! LOL. I've done that with birthday cards, etc. - bought them in advance (for a special birthday for someone) and forgotten that I bought one!
DeleteThe situation with the virus is very concerning, isn't it? I do hope that things improve and not too many additional lives are lost.