Birthday Cards
Sunday, July 13th, 2008(37 of 50)
At last, the long awaited for post about the birthday card project!
I received about 70 cards. I say “about” because I collected 65 by June 17 (the cutoff date), but there were a few stragglers around 4 or 5 or 6 in number, and some of my close friends sent cards to the house (with prezzies!) and also cards to the PO Box. I also got a wonderful e-card from a dear friend that made us laugh, so I’m counting that too.
Here’s the breakdown (I had a more formal one, but lost it in the shuffle).
13 cards came to my PO Box from one person - that’s the record.
I got multiple cards from 6 different people, which amounted to nearly 25 cards total.
The cards from farthest away were from Rome, Italy. Five total, from one person.
One of my favorites is a collaged card from a cousin that I’ve never met. I’ll be blogging that one in a separate entry. But most of all, I loved each card, spending a moment with each and every person who took time to affix a stamp, write something thoughtful and pop it in the mail.
In this electronic age, there is a special kind of electricity in the thing itself. Without getting too far gone into the writing of Walter Benjamin (but I might in the future), to have something to hold and carry around, to see the squiggle of the pen, even if it is on a mass-produced postcard or birthday card is quite wonderful.
One friend recycled junk mail for her card, another crossed out the “Love, Grandma” and added “+46″ to the “Happy 4th Birthday.” Made me laugh! Sweet and funny, and the epitome of tacky too!
Another friend sent a datebook for 2008 from an insurance company, with one or two entries whited-out in February and March. LOL!
All in all, it was a pleasure to drive to the PO and check my mail. I selected three cards at random, and have a little package to put in the mail tomorrow. No, I’m not saying who to… you’ll just have to wait and see. But seriously, if you put your address on the envelope, you can expect something from me. Maybe a postcard!
As a parting shot, here is a card that made me laugh out loud, for real (not LOL) when I opened it. (I have the audio for it too, yes it’s one of those musical cards - but I don’t know quite how to link it here yet. Learning all the time…)
It’s Your Birthday - Please Act Accordionly.