indieblogging and christmas cheer
December 19th, 2006 @ 9:48 am | miscellany | Post a Comment
I signed up! I’m in the club! I’m an indieblogger!
Don’t know what that means? Well, it means I’m not a mommyblogger, not a topic-based blogger (i.e. personal finance, knitting), not an anything blogger really. Unless you count “drunken ramblings of a newly married gal” as a blogging genre, of course. But rather than define ourselves as something we are not, us indiebloggers are joining together to form a network asserting that we ARE something too and that we support each other and our writing…it’s just not rigid or exclusive. Most of you gals in my blogroll would fit in well here. I encourage you to check it out. (Thanks to Zandria for giving me the extra nudge to sign up.)
Bonus that their icons match my template. Nice taste, ladies!
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Earlier this month I was feeling a bit Grinchy toward Christmas. We didn’t do any decorating at all and have avoided setting foot in the local mall. I love the holiday season but don’t love the pressure to spend lots of money on junk.
(Not to mention, of course, that this time of year with all the rampant consumerism I can’t help but feel like I should be doing more (or, um, something) for the needy. Do I really need that extra XYZ when plenty of kids don’t even have a warm coat? Yet somehow this train of thought only leads me to feeling more curmudgeony, like only crusty old people blame their disdain for consumerism on some faux charitable cause. But I digress.)
I took a few small steps that have helped me get into the Christmas spirit a little more. I did 90% of my shopping online (thank you free shipping!) and tried to keep my gift giving (and requesting) to small, thoughtful items. I accepted that buying the perfect gift for my dad or my father-in-law is impossible and bought them weird and/or unique things instead.
I’ve also spent my time making homemade cards and cookies, hoping that people will enjoy items that did not come from the mall. Gahhh! The mall. Have I mentioned my hate?
My most favorite thing about Christmas, and the thing that truly keeps my heart from becoming two sizes too small, however, is the use of traditional old snail mail during the month of December. From January through November I mostly get bills, credit cards offers, and the occasional wedding invitation. But December brings cards! and photos! and packages! and treats!
Yesterday was a glorious mail day. I got a wedding gift from Sarah (movie tickets! how did she know Andrew has been BEGGING AND PLEADING to go to a movie for weeks?!?), a hilarious Christmas photocard from my best friend, and a Secret Santa gift from a wedding planning pal.
It turns out I don’t hate Christmas after all.
Hmm, indieblogging - very interesting. I’ve been pondering what “type” of blogger I am, if any, and this intrigues me. Will investigate more fully soon…
I, too, share your hatred of the mall and love for free shipping. That’s not to say that I wouldn’t pay extra to not have to drive, park, and navigate my way through a crowd like a salmon going upstream. Shudder.
written by RA
December 19th, 2006 @ 10:23 am
I just got excited for Christmas a few days ago. I’d been trying to get into the Christmas spirit all month by decorating, shopping (all done with only 2 little tiny trips to the mall!), wrapping, etc. but nothing was working. Then out of the blue the Christmas excitement just hit me and now I feel like a litttle kid counting down the days until I get to go see my parents this weekend.
I, too, will be investigating indieblogging…
written by Audrey
December 19th, 2006 @ 10:57 am
You’re very lucky to have avoided the mall. I had to do some shopping on my parents behalf (no Apple store in their town) which led me to the mall. 30 agonizing minutes later we had a parking space! We spent as much time inside the mall as we did parking - and that included two trips to the bathroom in 30 min (pregnancy is weird.)
written by Alison
December 19th, 2006 @ 11:05 am
I’m glad you got the gift. Take the man to the movies! And that’s so exciting that you’re going to be an Auntie!!! I love it. It’s all the best parts of having a baby…without the poop!
written by Sarah
December 19th, 2006 @ 11:39 am
I was going to write something about how Christmas (actually, I favor nondenominationl cards since I’m not Christian, but I still call them Christmas cards) cards are my most favorite thing about the season… but then I forgot. Now you’ve done it for me! Thanks
I LOOOOVE getting all the real cards in the mail. I am a card-nazi. If I know you, you’re getting a card. I love writing them, addressing them, sending them. I love everything about it, which is a welcome change from my normal holiday-grinch, “we’re not getting a tree!” attidude.
PS- I saw the indie bloggers thing yesterday… very cool! and I lurve the logo.
written by Jen
December 19th, 2006 @ 12:33 pm
I love Christmas mail, too. However, although I wrote all of my Christmas cards just after Thanksgiving, I put off buying stamps for them until yesterday. Therefore, I went to the Rockefeller Center Post Office. At lunch hour. The Monday before Christmas. AWESOME.
written by Laurel
December 19th, 2006 @ 12:52 pm
Oh my gosh…I love snail mail. I always mail letters in hopes that someone will mail me letters in return (sometimes it happens).
And I also have the same feelings about Christmas. I HATE buying gifts BECAUSE I HAVE TO BUY THEM. Can’t we give gifts because WE WANT TO?!
Anyway, Merry Christmas to you and your new hubby!
written by Isabel
December 19th, 2006 @ 1:08 pm
I am a proud Indie Blogger, also.
Oh, and I did most of my Christmas shopping this year through the innernet. And loved every second of it!
written by alyndabear
December 19th, 2006 @ 3:57 pm
Ahhh, yes, I’ve been pondering what “sort” of blog I have, and THAT, is what it is. Just as you said: NOT a Mom, NOT a knitter, NOT a topic-based blog, NOT a celebrity-basher…Just me. Thanks for the tip, I’ll go check out the link.
PS If this works out, we should have the new BlogHer - aka drunken ramblings of a bunch of gals who aren’t anything, except people who write.
written by Meepers
December 19th, 2006 @ 4:03 pm
Those sleep socks from Bath and Body Works rock! Lucky girl. If that doesn’t put you in the Christmas spirit, nothing will.
written by Allison
December 19th, 2006 @ 6:05 pm
Holla at an Indie sista once in a while!
written by Ella
December 20th, 2006 @ 12:04 am
Did you fulfill your initial urge to do do something for the cold children?
written by alexa
December 20th, 2006 @ 1:18 am
IndieBloggers of the world, unite!
written by kerrianne
December 20th, 2006 @ 4:16 am
More Indie Blogger pimpage…I love it! I think it’s great that so many of us are unclassified. It just means we have a wide variety of things to talk about.
(By the way, I’m also loving the free online shipping. I avoid those sites that don’t offer it. So much easier than battling the crazy stores…)
written by Zandria
December 20th, 2006 @ 12:12 pm