They're done!

Our Christmas cards.

Okay, okay. So they're a couple weeks late. We'll just say they're in celebration of Little Christmas, okay? Certainly much better than the previous two years, when I'm pretty sure they didn't get out at all. Probably the biggest problem will be that at least half the recipients will have already boxed up and stored away their 2006 cards.

The main delay, of course, is the annual family Christmas letter.

Which is always my responsibility.

'Course I also have to get each family member to check it when I'm done, and make editorial changes. Some years that's a major task upon itself.

Added pretty pictures this year, what with all the digital images floating around this computer. The top image on the letter is a reduced version of this one.

Since our printer is totally nonfunctional (and new one is still in its box), I had to email the letter file to the boss of the copy shop, who then printed them up. His words, as I listened over the phone as he opened this file up:

"Oooooh! Pretty pictures!"

It helps to know the boss. Wife used to work across the alley from his store, and was a frequent client. They got quite used to her walking into their store from the back storage room, since they rarely locked their alley door.

Since I threw in portraits of each of us (heelers included), we wanted color copies. Shop owner promised he would find a way to give us a reduced rate.

Turned out to be half price.

Cool.

Helps to know the boss.

And, top it off, the highway into town wasn't that bad. Despite the three inches of new snow, and bitter cold winds.

Mountains looked even colder...