Tis the Season...

(ok- do note that I have blogged 2 entries in one day- its a special treat for you! )

When I was teaching, my sister and I used to have a competition of sorts during the holiday season. We would bring home all of our christmas cards we received and hang them around my parents house- and she usually won for the number of cards she had. (I typically won for the quality of gifts received from my private school students vs. her inner city students :) )

But imagine my delight when I received my holiday edition of Real Simple magazine this weekend and they had a holiday card score sheet! So while this is not original, I still want to challenge y'all to keep score using this rubric as your holiday cards start trickling in the next few weeks... So now, not only can my sister and I compare how many we get, but there will be points for who they are from! Game on! If any of you intentionally sabotage my score, your christmas gifts will be reduced to a lump of coal or a flaming bag of doggie doo on your doorstep. :)

Gain points when you receive cards from:

• dentist, insurance agent, hairdresser, dry cleaner, mailman (+.5 each)


• your own mother (+.5)


• Another relative (+1)


• Friend via email (+.5)


• Your boss (+1)


• friend you see at least once a week (+1)


• Above, with reference to an inside joke(+3)


• Long-distance friend, devoid of any personal message (+2)


• Above, with personal message of at least three lines (+5)


• Anyone who includes a handwritten personal note of more than 5 sentences (+5)


• Long-lost friend who hasn't been heard from in 20 years (+10)

Lose points when:

• card and envelope are same piece of paper (-1)


• signature is imprinted rather than handwritten inside card (-2)


• Photo is of a helpless pet in a holiday costume (-3)


• Your name is spelled incorrectly (-4)


• Card plays annoying music that you can't turn off (-4)


• Highly religious card celebrates faith other than your own (-5)


• Card is the same one you received last year (-6)


• Return-address label was provided by charity to which sender may NOT have actually contributed (-7)


• family newsletter contains words such as gallbladder, spleen, and gout (-8) (can I add pus to the list- or any surigcal procedure for that matter? )


• Family newsletter is from ex who is (not so) subtly gloating over his recent wedding and cushy new job (-10)


• long-lost friend who hasn't been heard from in 20 years asks for money or a place to live (-20)

Bonus Points

• Gilded envelope (+.5)


• Handwritten return address (+1)


• Card in which all family members appear to have signed their own names (+2)


• Newsletter or family photo in card (+2)


• Card with moving parts (+3)


• Extremely clever handmade card (+4)


• Oversized card requiring extra postage (+5)


• Card sent from foreign country (+6)


• Newsletter with humor at progeny's expense (+8)


• Card with check, cash, or gift certificate (+20)

ok- might be a bit early- but get your score card ready!