Christmas Cards 2025

Today I renew my annual tradition of preparing and mailing Christmas cards.

Every year I debate "Is this the last year I mail cards?" And my answer is always the same "No."

Over the years my Christmas card mailing list has dwindled from sixty plus cards to about twenty-five. This year I'm aiming for only twenty cards.

One of the reasons I mail less Christmas cards is that I am outliving so many people I used to mail Christmas cards. Sad isn't it? But there are still a few people like two of my old bosses I've been exchanging Christmas cards with for forty some years now. I can't stop now. We have to let each other know we're still alive. Plus, I would like to know how they're doing.

In my Christmas cards I usually put a note of how I am doing. This year I will include a picture of me and Pat taken on our wedding day. I have to share the good news with my longtime friends of how lucky I am to share the rest of my life with this wonderful Canadian man. Not many people are as fortunate as I am, to marry a good-looking and good hearted man like Mr. Flynn. Another point of interest, my two husbands were both of Irish ancestry. When I was growing up gay I thought I would be attracted to Latin men but with the exception of one Manuel Lopez, a Cuban boat immigrant that I had a brief flight with in the early Seventies, I've never been involved with a man of Latin origin. Interesting isn't it. Not that I don't find them attractive, I do but my life just didn't work out that way. These hot Irish guys, what can I say? We just click. But I digress.

Who is left on my Christmas card mailing list are four former bosses (I always maintain good relationships with my former bosses), friends from far and a way that I've accumulated over the years and a few neighbors. The neighbor one I question because they're right next door and I can walk out my door and put my Christmas card in their mailbox, which is what I did last year. I used to mail quite a few Christmas cards to relatives but most of them are either dead or I have lost contact with them. I do have a surviving brother but he's MAGA and we haven't spoken in a few years now and he's soured his children (my nieces and nephews) on me so he's off my list. Sad but true. 

So let me be on my way with getting started on addressing these cards. 

Have a great day everyone and if you don't receive a Christmas card from me, I wish you a wonderful Christmas!

Christmas Cards Completed!

Finally! I completed my Christmas cards!

This has always been one of my favorite Christmas holiday activities, preparing and mailing my Christmas cards. 

I've been doing this since I was a teenager. Over the years my Christmas card list has evolved many times. Most of the people I mailed Christmas cards too when I was in my prime are gone now. They are in Heaven or the Afterlife. I miss all of them. Many of them is how I used to keep in touch at least once a year. Of course soon I will be with them. I have a feeling this is the last year I'm sending Christmas cards.

Bill and I had stopped exchanging gifts about fifty years ago. But we always exchanged Christmas cards. Bill knew I liked sparkly Christmas cards and he would put forth a major effort to find that perfect sparkly Christmas card to give to me. Each year it became harder and harder to find that "just right" card but we always managed. The last year or two, with Bill's eyesight gone, he would make his own card with a big black magic marker telling me how much he loved me. And you know folks, those cards, even without the colorful sparkle, were the most beautiful cards I've ever received. 

Christmas Cards

My favorite Christmas tradition is addressing Christmas cards. 

I love keeping in touch with long time friends, former co-workers, relatives whom I haven't seen in years.  Maybe too just let them know I'm still alive. Maybe just to wish them a peaceful and joyous Christmas season.  Whatever the reason, I truly do enjoy preparing my Christmas card list. Checking the list, whose on and who is off. 

Each year I tell myself that I'm going to par down my list.  I sort of did this year. 

I'm not so concerned about only sending cards to those who send me cards. There are a few individuals who I send cards every year who I have never received a card from.  One being the guy who was my first sexual fling with when I was in the Army.  I haven't seen him since 1962 and I'm sure he doesn't care a whit about me now but I will always remember him. I don't even know if he is married or has a family but I do know he is still alive.  I have a way of checking that, the Social Security Death Index on Ancestry.com.

The past few years too many of my long time friends and former co-workers have appeared on that death index. I check when I no longer receive a Christmas card from them. That makes me sad. 

Also during these past few years I have made new friends and they are now on my list. That makes me happy.

Looking at me in this video I've posted at the top of this blog post reminds me of how much I am like my father. My mouth hangs open like his did in his later years. I walk like him. I have mannerisms like him.  I'm turning into my father!

Annual Christmas Card Ritual

This morning I'm completing my annual Christmas card tradition. I don't do much for Christmas anymore around the house like setting up a Christmas tree (with the exception of our ceramic tree in the basement). However, one Christmas tradition that I continue is addressing personalized Christmas cards.

I don't remember exactly when I began my Christmas card tradition, probably when I was twelve or thirteen years old.  

I love sending Christmas cards to keep in touch with relatives that I haven't seen in years, co-workers (and almost all of my old bosses), former classmates (I'm involved in our class reunions) and neighbors from my Past Life.  Included in my annual Christmas card mailing list are even some old flames but they rarely acknowledge receiving my Christmas cards.  In fact they NEVER send me one in return which I guess says something about who likes me and who doesn't.  But that's a subject for another whole blog (or two) and I'm not going there now because I am trying to stick to my vow of only positive blog postings (which is very hard I must admit).

Usually I have my Christmas cards finished by the day after Thanksgiving. Didn't happen this year though.  Oh I had ordered the cards early but I just wasn't into it this year.  In fact I briefly considered not even sending Christmas cards this year but once I started to cards from some of my favorite people from the past, I relented. 

Yesterday I was at my computer several hours, first trying to figure out on Word (always a challenge) to print out the addresses on my cards.  Then I printed the addresses, which went pretty smoothly.

This year I had all good intentions of paring my mailing list to under fifty (it was 120 last year).  Couldn't do it though, I culled through my Address Book Christmas card listing and the lowest I could get the figure was eighty. So if you receive a Christmas card from me, you made the cut.  Lucky you.

Well, I just took a break here to post this blog and video.  Now I have to get back to completing the task at hand.  I'm not looking forward to licking all those envelopes.  

Rockin Around the Christmas Tree

Hey folks!  I roped up some of my Bloggerpalooza friends (I have ALL THOSE PICTURES) and made this little Christmas greeting.  

Can you identify everyone?  

Here goes:

Anne Marie
Someone
The Cajun
Mark and Fred

Enjoy!

P.S.

I'm making more.  

Hey, I just made more!  This one with:

Sassy Bear,
Dr. Spo,
Jeffrey,
Java  
Superman.  

Enjoy!

Christmas Cards

Me and my Mom and my Christmas card "take" at my center city Philadelphia home 1978 - I still have those cards!

This evening I finished addressing my Christmas cards.  I'm a bit late this year.  No reason other than maybe I'm just not really into the holiday season.  Oh I like the sparkling lit Christmas trees and the goodwill.  Not so much on the caroling (I HATE the Partridge in the Pear tree song and all the "Ho! Ho! Ho!" Santa Clauses that seem to be in every other commercial).  And of course I don't like all the commercialism but other than that, I like the Christmas or "holiday" season.  

Me at "Christmas Card Central"

The one "holiday" activity I do like is sending Christmas cards.  This is the one time of year I have the opportunity to let my friends and relatives, who have moved away, that I am still alive and they are still alive.  Unfortunately, this year I just discovered yesterday that two of my longtime friends had died in the past year, one the day after Christmas last year.  I am saddened by the knowledge of that fact. Ironically both of these individuals I once tried to fix up with each other.  She was interested but he wasn't.  It was a shame because they both died single.  Both fine folks.  

I used to kid my friend Rich that he was the only person I knew who had a birthday that the whole city of Philadelphia used to celebrate every New Year's Day with a massive, all day parade. Every year I kidded him about that and every year he took my kidding. He was very gracious about my annual lame joke.

Addressing and sending my Christmas cards, most with a little note (I don't do "the letter") is my one enjoyable Christmas activity of which I have never tired.  By the way, if  you're on my Christmas card list, don't feel obligated to do a tit for tat.  You don't to send me a Christmas card just because I sent one to you.  I send the Christmas cards because I truly want to wish you a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year!

This year's Christmas card (the cat's out of the bag now)

Note:  95 cards this year broken down this way:

Arizona - 1 (you know who you are)
California - 5
Connecticut - 1
Delaware - 12 (newly adopted state)
Florida - 2
Georgia - 3
Louisiana - 1
New Jersey - 5
Nevada - 2
New York - 1 (you know who you are)
North Carolina - 2
Ohio - 1
Pennsylvania - 45 (former home state)
South Carolina - 6
Tennessee - 2
Virginia - 5
Canada - 1 (and you definitely know who you are)

Christmas Cards

Bill signing our Christmas cards 2011

Bill just finished signing our Christmas cards this morning, this year's Christmas cards are finished and ready to mail!

We don't put up a tree, we don't exchange Christmas presents.  This year we're not even putting up Christmas lights outside the house.  But I am sending Christmas cards.  I love sending Christmas cards!

I've been sending Christmas cards since I was about 13 or 14 years old.  Every year since then I've sent Christmas cards.  I send them to former co-workers, relatives, and former neighbors. This is how I keep in touch with old friends and relatives and those I care for with whom I am no longer geographically near.

Every year I look forward to choosing my new Christmas card.  For many years I included a professional photo of myself.  These years I make my own photo Christmas card.

Each year my Christmas card has grown.  This year is the first time it has reached 100.  I had to remove some names to keep it at 100.  I don't want to go over 100.

A note to those who receive a Christmas card from me and Bill, we don't expect to receive one in return.  I don't do "tit-for-tat."  I only send Christmas cards to those I care for to give them my best wishes during this holiday season.

Now to lick all those envelopes!

Christmas Cards

I love sending Christmas cards.  


I love receiving Christmas cards.


Everybody has their own traditions for celebrating Christmas.  My tradition is Christmas cards.


I've been sending Christmas cards since I was a teenager.  Now let's see, I'm 69 years young now so that would be a LONG TIME AGO.


Most of the Christmas cards I send are to friends, relatives and former co-workers (bosses mostly) who I don't see in person anymore.  Occasionally I send Christmas cards to current neighbors.  Truth be told, I usually do that because they sent me a card.  Although I do wish them a Merry Christmas, the reason I send cards is to keep in touch with friends, relatives and former bosses who I never expect to see again.


My longest contact is with the mother of my BFF in grade school, Larry M.  His mom is 90 years old now but she sends me a card faithfully every year.  And I send her a card faithfully every year.  She was always so kind to me when her son and I hung around together in our teenage years.


Over the years I have stayed in contact with many former co-workers for years and years after I left our common place of employment.  It is always sad when that year comes and one of my cards is returned.  For then I know that my friend is no longer with us.  One lady who I worked with when I was in my 30's still sends me a card.  I'm amazed every year when I get yet another card from her.  When we worked together I thought she was old then because she was retired and only working part-time.  And yet every year I receive a card from her.  I haven't received on this year.....yet.  


I like all kinds of Christmas cards, especially sparkly Christmas cards.  It must be my gay gene but a little sparkle always brings a smile to my face.


Perhaps my favorite Christmas cards of all time are those of Santa Claus riding his sleigh in the cold December night sky.  For some reason that has always brought the meaning of the Christmas of my childhood back to me.  


So far this year I've received a lot of Christmas cards.  However, there is one card I will not receive this year.   It saddens my heart just to think of it.  Deep down I'm wishing that I would get this card but I know I won't.  


This year will be the first time in my life I won't receive a card from my Mother.

Mom and me at my Philadelphia home 1979 with that year's Christmas card bonanza 

Like everything else she touched, Mom's cards were always the best.  

I miss you Mom.

December Is Here

Christmas is only a few weeks away. I notice that the older I get the faster time passes by. When I was young, very young, it seemed like forever until Christmas arrived. I enjoy the holidays but I just can’t get into all the decoration. I’ll look at others. We do have one of the white pines that border our property covered in multicolored lights. That’s about as festive as we’ll get this Christmas.

Yesterday Bill drove me to Dover for my dental appointment to have my teeth cleaned. For years I had the same dentist in Downingtown and was very pleased with him. This year that dentist and his wife retired. Oh yes, they also retired to Delaware. It was with some apprehension that I went on the search for a new dentist. At work I signed up for an HMO plan. I wouldn’t have my choice of dentist. As it turned out, I’ve been very fortunate. The dentists I’ve at the dental clinic in Dover have all been very good. However, yesterday I received some bad news. My dentist advised me that I would have to have a bridge removed because I no longer had bone support underneath the bridge. Here we go again. I turned down the dental implants option. I’ll have a partial bridge installed. My dentist will call back with an estimate. Just when I think I’m done with the big bills, here comes another one. Life goes on.

My PC Guy stopped by today and just about finished setting up my new computer with all of my old files. What a job that has been. Again, I am fortunate to have such a friend who is able to provide this service. With my new PC I have a new level of comfort and security. My PC will automatically backup to an external hard drive at 1 AM every morning. Now I no longer have to worry about my PC crashing and losing all of my pictures and genealogy software.

The past several nights I have been up late updating my family tree on Ancestry.com. For many years I had dreamed of winning the lottery and having enough money to set up an office and concentrate solely on updating my family tree. My ultimate goal is to leave a book on my branch of the Tipton family tree. It looks like that goal is obtainable now. And I didn’t have to win the lottery to set up my office dedicated to family research. I just have to update recent births. That means a lot of phone calls to first cousins once removed. What is a first cousin once removed you ask? That is the son or daughter of my first cousin. I’m of the age where the first cousins once removed now have grandchildren. You know what that means? I’m getting old.

Tomorrow I will start on my Christmas cards. That is how I really celebrate Christmas. For years I’ve been exchanging Christmas cards with relatives, friends, former school mates, and former co-workers. Most of these people I haven’t seen for years. This is the one time I keep in touch during the year. I usually like to include a picture of myself to let them know how young I look. Alas, that didn’t work this year. I thought I would go for the “serious look.” That was a mistake. It is scary. I look like an undertaker. I held back the hands of Father Time for many years but I fear he has caught up with me. Thus, I created another card with a more distant view of my face. Hopefully I won’t scare too many folks off with my Christmas card. I deliberately didn’t smile because I wanted one of those serious old timey pictures of yore. Be care what you wish for.

By the way, see those bags under my eyes? I earned them.