At the same time, I have to ask myself how I feel about the Christmas cards I receive.  I mean, do we even like getting them?  Each year,  we dutifully line  our fireplace mantle and shelves with them… and every year, we collect them all and pitch them in the garbage once the holidays have passed.  Then, we started receiving the photo cards, you know the ones… line up the kiddies in matching sweaters and take a picture and send them to everyone you know.

Now, I used to like these as they were the only time in the year I would see pictures of my friends’ progeny.  Once again, social media has made that obsolete.  I now routinely see pictures of my friend’s kids in real time.  No longer the kids lined up against a phoney baloney Olin Mills backdrop with a forced smile.  These photos on Facebook are varied and ‘real’ – like Camille at an annual corn maze/fall festival,  Alex playing Xbox in the basement, Grant playing soccer, etc.

Yet, each year, after Christmas, Hubby and I ride up to Target and pick up wrapping paper, bows and Christmas cards for next year at 50% off. Well, last year, I couldn’t find the cards I’d stashed away the year before… so we didn’t send any out… now this year, we’ve found them and the ones we bought last year so I’m up to my eyeballs in two season’s worth of Christmas cards. Therefore, it seems only fitting I write some greeting inside, sign them, stamp them and send them out.

But it still begs the question: why?

• Facebook,  Twitter, LinkedIn: Free.
• US Postal Service: 44 cents a pop.
• Saving money to put towards a new pair of  boots: Priceless.

Perhaps the fiscal soundness of the digital thing will make the decision for me.

p.s. Since I began this post a few days ago, I’ve noticed something.  By this point in the season, I would normally have received a lot Christmas cards by now… to date, I’ve received 2.  So perhaps I am not alone in my contemplation of withholding business from the US Postal Service… and relying solely on social media to pass on my Christmas Greetings. Perhaps I’ll send them all more ‘gifts’ in Farmville.