A guest post from our friend @maxnugget:
This year I had intended for my entry to the Advent calendar to be a glowing tribute to the handcrafted Christmas card I would inevitably receive from my friends Helen and Matt who live in London. Helen and Matt are both incredibly gifted artists and each year I get the most amazing card, usually with a painting of some magical winter landscape on the front done by Helen, and Matt’s interpretation of the same theme on the inside. I relish getting their card and it always takes pride of place on the mantlepiece beside cards from other treasured friends.
Knowing I was going to showcase their card, and anxious that I might for some reason be overlooked, I sent MY card to Helen & Matt early, and then waited patiently for something to pop through the letterbox. I felt like I’d made a bit more of an effort with my cards this year, not getting them from Asda or Tesco, but I’d actually bought them from NEXT! OK ok, so I bought them in the sale last Christmas, but they were slightly thicker card stock than I usually send and they were almost guaranteed not to curl on the sideboard until Boxing Day.
A few days later buoyed by the familiar rattle of the letterbox I was suddenly distracted by a ping on my phone and a message from Helen which read “Hey lovely, just a quick note to say thank you for the Christmas card. Sadly we are not sending any this year but we ARE sending you lots of love and best wishes.”
What?!
So my plan to boast about how brilliant my friends are has been scuppered. You’ll just have to take my word for it.
What I’d also overlooked is, much like Adam and Sarah’s Advent Calendar, Helen and Matt as a couple are 10 years old this year, celebrating their anniversary on 31st December. Helen and Matt have endured more than most to be together and I guess I can forsake my Christmas Card this year so they can focus on their 10 years together instead. All of my love and a happy 10 years to two of my favourite people.
(But I’d better get a bloomin’ big card next year!!)
This year I had intended for my entry to the Advent calendar to be a glowing tribute to the handcrafted Christmas card I would inevitably receive from my friends Helen and Matt who live in London. Helen and Matt are both incredibly gifted artists and each year I get the most amazing card, usually with a painting of some magical winter landscape on the front done by Helen, and Matt’s interpretation of the same theme on the inside. I relish getting their card and it always takes pride of place on the mantlepiece beside cards from other treasured friends.
Knowing I was going to showcase their card, and anxious that I might for some reason be overlooked, I sent MY card to Helen & Matt early, and then waited patiently for something to pop through the letterbox. I felt like I’d made a bit more of an effort with my cards this year, not getting them from Asda or Tesco, but I’d actually bought them from NEXT! OK ok, so I bought them in the sale last Christmas, but they were slightly thicker card stock than I usually send and they were almost guaranteed not to curl on the sideboard until Boxing Day.
A few days later buoyed by the familiar rattle of the letterbox I was suddenly distracted by a ping on my phone and a message from Helen which read “Hey lovely, just a quick note to say thank you for the Christmas card. Sadly we are not sending any this year but we ARE sending you lots of love and best wishes.”
What?!
So my plan to boast about how brilliant my friends are has been scuppered. You’ll just have to take my word for it.
What I’d also overlooked is, much like Adam and Sarah’s Advent Calendar, Helen and Matt as a couple are 10 years old this year, celebrating their anniversary on 31st December. Helen and Matt have endured more than most to be together and I guess I can forsake my Christmas Card this year so they can focus on their 10 years together instead. All of my love and a happy 10 years to two of my favourite people.
(But I’d better get a bloomin’ big card next year!!)
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