Holiday card problems

[pegkerr]

I have sent out a holiday card with family picture faithfully for many years to a huge list (160 names). This year the photography studio we used changed their pricing structure, and suddenly the 50% cut on price we used to get by having the picture done early was only 10%. And then there were car problems, and I finally decided, regretfully, that although I would have the portrait taken, I couldn't afford to do a card this year. It wouldn't hurt to skip a year; I could resume it next year and hopefully the budget would be a little better.

Then Rob unexpectedly got a big check from a legal client. Hey! Holiday cards were back on. But now we were so close to Christmas that we'd have to pay full retail, and I balked at that, and so took our negatives to another printer.

The portrait that our regular studio took is lovely, but the printer's job of the holiday cards made from it was awful! They didn't even try to balance the color or anything, and we all look pale and washed out, like vampires.

I was slow getting my holiday letter written--depression put me into such a funk that I couldn't quite think of what to say. But I finally got a draft scratched up. But now my computer is on the fritz and I can't finalize it or print it. Rob thinks that a Windows system file got corrupted or lost when he defragmented the hard drive. Fortunately, all our data seems to be secure, but it looks as though he's going to have to copy the data off, reformat the hard drive, reinstall Windows, and reload the data. So it'll be at least a couple of days before the job will be done. I have several days off work, but Rob's working full time and so best case scenario is I won't even be able to start for another two or three days or so.

So, I'll have a letter this year. But the picture is ugly. And it will be late. *Sigh*

Comments

[drewan.livejournal.com]

You say vampire likes its a bad thing! ;)

[sheryll.livejournal.com]

You're just not getting a break, are you? If you didn't already pay to have the holiday cards done, I'd say to just blow it off until next year.

*hugs*

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

You can write your letter and print it at our house.

K.

[whapnoggin.livejournal.com]

The holiday letter shouldn't be a hardship. People who care about you will be glad to get it, and they won't notice if it's a couple days slow in the mail.

[txlorral.livejournal.com]

Just make it a New Year's letter! That's what I do when RL gets out of hand during the holiday madness.
Cheers!

[(Anonymous)]

People like New Year's letters better! They have more time to read - they won't skim! (Can you tell I'm sending a New Year's letter, too??) I hope I can get this letter out before I leave to see you in Minnesota, but if not, we can lick, seal & fold together! I'm also pretending to be cheerful by putting an exclamation point at the end of every sentence! My mood is lifting already! See you Christmas Eve!

heather

[pameladean]

I always figure I've got til Twelfth Night for anything of that nature.

It's a pity about the picture, but I think the salient details, like how much the girls have grown and who's in the midst of losing teeth, will come through. And the smiles. The original is very fine.

P.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_lore/]

Your family looks wonderful in the linked pic. I suppose you can make jokes about how awful it looks in some cards where you don't have much to say. heh.

But, mainly, people just want to hear from you and remember their connections. Do not stress. My cards still aren't out either. They're going out in these terrible clumps and making me think I am forgetting someone when I haven't gotten to them yet. ;)

love, lore

[vass]

*pats you*

[cruisedirector]

That photo is lovely! Sorry the cards were printed so poorly. You should definitely write a complaint, when things calm down.