Christmas Card Overdrive

Christmas cards rule, always have, always will. They're a relatively inexpensive way to exchange a psychic high-five with friends and loved-ones you almost never see or talk to on the telephone that's way more personal and corporeal and awesome than email. I love sending cards as much as I love receiving them; I love figuring out who's deserving of one in any given year, gazing at the postmarks, considering the stamp choices, perusing the scrawled greeting inside. To me this is as key an aspect to the holidays as any other, despite the fact that no-one really sends us any cards (here are some whys: my side of the family's not so much on the mailing of cards and never has been, but Alecia's is, so we hear from her relatives a lot more; (most of) my friends are either like, totally busy, don't share my fondness for what one referred to years back as a sorta "bourgie" tradition, don't celebrate a crucial holiday in December, or just plain suck). This post won't descend to the level of all-out, gloves-off bitchfest, though the last part of A Season of Discontent might (if I ever have the balls/time to post it here); really, what I want to understand is, what's up with the tradition of Christmas card giving in the office? Seriously. I mean, what's the relative significance of handing a card to somebody you see five days a week and interact with constantly, even the people you don't really like? It's the polite thing to do, I guess, but it seems so pointless and waistful and naturally the cards are just pretty and the person giving them signs his/her name and puts them in a green or red or white envelope and hands one to you with your name on it and it's like, okay, thanks, I guess, happy holidays. While this happens every year at my job - and it's always women who do this, never guys, it's never occurred to me to get in on this crap - the usual cubicle haul is something like a manageable 3-5 card haul. This year, I've got like 10 effin' cards (so far, three working days remain until Christmas), which is insane, because the company has hired a number of new people and temps over the last 12 months and because the people who in the past didn't hand out cards have suddenly decided it's a wonderful idea. Why, why, why? Who has the time to read every one and figure out where to store them and whether to keep them, if at all? On my shelf sit three that I haven't even opened yet, and I don't know if I will. On the other hand, one of the temps made everybody little sacks of Christmas cookies and food-coloring dyed rice krispie treats and other stuff and handed them out today, which kept her up all night, baking and drinking coffee; that's what I call making an effort, that's what I call special, that's what I call awesome, even if I haven't wanted to eat any of it yet.