christmas in september

We spent Saturday morning taking our annual holiday card photos. Annual… as if we’ve been doing this for, like, ever… laugh out loud. Last year is the first year we became THAT couple. You know, the one without kids who sends cards of themselves and their um, dogs. So, on Saturday morning we sat, outside, in our front yard, as our neighbors passed by and Oahu-native, Yong Dawson, of True Colors Photography snapped away. My husband was probably overjoyed, as this is so “his thing,” but he was a good sport. I mean, c’mon hun, this the kind of reason you get married! He did, however, protest, when I tried to dress Mimi, our puggle, in a beautiful Hello Kitty dress that matched our attire perfectly. Clearly, my husband is from the “old school” that believes that dogs should be naked. I’m very slowly learning the notion of “picking your battles,” so I undressed my fur baby and marched my half-naked family outside.

I decided to become part of the holiday card exchange club because a) I LOVE Erin Condren and 2) I LOVE LOVE LOVE receiving holiday cards. I decided I would stop being such a taker and start participating. I display the holiday cards that we receive all year long in our home because they make me happy. They brighten my life, make me smile, and help me to feel closer to home. A side perk is that whenever someone new comes over, I guarantee you they’ll look at the holiday cards and it’s almost always a conversation starter. Nowadays, with so many card design options, it’s a great way to decorate a wall. People no longer only send the 4×8 ones that everyone would buy from their favorite Walmart. Each card is so unique and such a reflection of the sender!

Truly, though, one of the major reasons I’m looking forward to the holidays is to start opening my mailbox to find cards amongst the sea of bills. It’s sad to think that I may only know some of my friends’ kids through their annual card and sometimes the only time I “see” someone for the entire year is when I get their card. It’s the painful reality that we face when we choose to live away from our home in the islands. One of the reasons I started this blog was to choose to focus on the positive, rather that dwell on all the things that suck about living away. Exchanging holiday cards is definitely one of the positives… a way to find aloha, share aloha, and keep aloha in your home — for the holidays or all year long!

Erin Condren is offering 50% off their holiday collection now through October 31 with the code SHINEON.

Here’s our very first family holiday card from 2012: