When retail stores close their doors on yet another Black Friday today, no one can try to pretend any longer that the Christmas season isn’t here. Carols play from street corners and in malls. There is suddenly plenty of other things to do — planning, wrapping, decorating, baking and even more shopping.
Yet, people rush from place to place, task to task, with a surprising level of goodwill and cheer given all the busyness.
As it is for many, this is my favourite time of year. All of the extra activity amidst the crazy of life should be a little off putting. But, from trying to fit it all in, to actually getting it all done and being able to sit and enjoy it, I love every task, every minute. At least I do now.
If there was one aspect of Christmases past that I could quite happily have ignored it was sending out the annual greeting cards. For some reason I can’t define, it seemed not just a chore, but a waste of precious time. Not to mention the cost. With postal rates continuing to rise it became clear that there had to be a better way to spend my money.
So, a couple of years ago, my husband and I decided that instead of our cash to Canada Post we would donate the same amount to a charity, then send an electronic greeting to our family and friends. And with a subscription to an online graphics service, such as iCLIPART.com or Clipart.com, we have found awesome seasonal illustrations to decorate our festive message.
When using these types of sites, do be sure to read their terms of use carefully before purchasing as there can be special restrictions on electronic distribution. For example you might need to send your greeting in HTML format rather than as a PDF.
Here is a sampling of images from various sources that would give your holidays e-greetings a festive flair:
