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Brandy snap
25-11-06, 02:19
Hi, I love writing Christmas cards, but the procedure takes forever! It begins with photocopying last year's list of recipients. I then have the task of finding the right pen to use. I collect every pen in the house (including all the pens I put in a separate box last year as they were either too scratchy, too blotchy or had the wrong colour ink, in case I made a mistake with my pen selection last year) and write 'Merry Christmas' and beside it a description of the pen I used and how comfortable it felt to use and whether I liked it. I arrive at a 'top three'. I then begin this year's list. I make several columns on sheets of an A4 pad and head them up 'Picture', 'Recipient', 'Written', 'Enclosures', 'Date Posted' and
'Received Back'. Then I study last year's list and begin to work out the order of names for the new list. I do my list in the order of how close I feel to or how much I like everyone at the present time. I spend hours agonising over who to put, e.g., 9th, 10th, 11th and so on. Obviously the top few are always the same (close family and friends), but after that I often find there have been subtle shifts in 'order of preference' (for want of a better phrase). Also there are usually two or three new people to slot in somewhere and sadly two or three to cross off. So going through last year's list I will find my new No. 9, 10, 11 and so on (which might have been 15th, 21st or 24th before) and I cross through their names on my photocopied list until they are all crossed off. I arrange this years packets of cards along the desk and begin to choose them. In the 'Picture' column I write the picture on the card so I don't send the same one next year (if any are left). I tick the 'Written' column when I have written it, then I have to photocopy the inside of the card and envelope (this helps with the repeated checking I used to have to do when it could take an hour to actually get one card in its envelope). When I have done as many as I have time for that day, I write down in the 'Enclosures' column whether I have enclosed any photos, a letter etc. and also whether I used a first or second class stamp. When I get to the postbox (which I usually do at night to be more private) I have to post them one at a time after checking the addresses - it can be ages before I can let go of them. If someone else comes with a letter to post I stand to one side and let them go first as I can't be rushed. When I get home, I write the date and time I posted them. Each day I also put a blank card in an envelope and address it to myself, writing inside the batch it was from, and cannot relax until I have received it back and know my batch of cards were not the victim of youths throwing a lighted match in the postbox, theft etc. And when I receive one from someone I tick the 'Received Back' column. If I happen to speak to someone and they say they have received my card I make a note on my list (with great relief) that it has arrived safely. I can't really explain why I need to do all this. I think partly it is because I hate losing touch with people and Christmas is sadly often the only time I am in touch with the people on page three. Although I do tend to approach many tasks in the same way - can anyone out there relate to any of this?

Sue K with 5
25-11-06, 02:54
Do you have OCD ??? I hope you dont mind me asking but thats an awful lot of hard work just to send christmas cards

Well good luck with it for this year



Sue

scknight

domino
25-11-06, 14:29
DITO .LORRAINE.

Brandy snap
25-11-06, 18:45
Hello, yes I think it must be a form of OCD. Have I posted in the right place?

Brandy snap
25-11-06, 18:48
And I know it's a lot of hard work, that's the problem! Does anyone have a similar problem (list making, checking etc?) I forgot to say earlier that when I have posted them I can't walk away until I have heard them land!

ponylover
25-11-06, 23:19
Hiya, yep, I don't do any one thing quite as obsessively as that, but if I'm stressed I will timetable my day down to the last half hour or 15 minutes with lists of everything I have to do, and when I'm going to do it so I can make sure I don't forget things...(have a fear of forgetting and losing things) and so also check things to make sure I know exactly where they are, and that everything's locked etc.

Sorry I don't have any advice, I don't know what to do myself, but you're definitely not the only one. Do you have any other symptoms or is it only the christmas cards?
Cx

Brandy snap
26-11-06, 02:14
Hi, yes I have a permanent ongoing jobs list which is now 69 pages long. It is divided into categories (house, pets, job, health worries, financial etc etc etc). I get great satisfaction from crossing them off when done but it never gets any shorter cos there are always new ones to add! Basically it starts with 'get out of bed' and ends with 'decide if I want to be buried or cremated' - and then loads of things to do in between!

keepemlaughing
26-11-06, 05:57
that sounds terrible! it must be agony to have to go through that. i am very sympathic. if you good just print that post and take it to a dr. perhaps you could get some good advice. this is a great site. welcome.
sheryl

Sheryl

You don't have to be a cow to know what milk is.