[Please excuse the 24 hour delay for this e-mail. We've been closed for the last 2 days to take physical inventory, counting and recounting almost 200,000 items]
This is about the time of year when I start wishing I was more like my Aunt Roberta. When I was a kid, every Christmas Eve was a huge get together at her house, with all the extended family. There were all sorts of goodies, like that green colored punch you make with ginger ale and lime sherbet. And eggnog, with a whole nutmeg and a little grater to grate fresh nutmeg in your cup (it was the grown-up kind – I never got any). I remember picking the cashews out of the bowl of nuts and sugar frosted grapes. My aunt was Martha Stewart before Martha Stewart was Martha Stewart. There were cute little decorations everywhere…even place cards on the table.
In my mind, that’s what I always think I’m going to do at the holidays. I envision baking cookies with the kids and decorating gingerbread houses and the perfectly decorated home. I will give thoughtful gifts to everyone who means something to me, expertly wrapped with homemade bows. I will send homemade Christmas cards, all with handwritten notes about why I am grateful the person is in my life.
And then there is reality. I was at Target until they closed at 11:00 last night, getting the last of the teacher gifts before school is out on Friday. My tree is still in its protective bag in the garage, along with all the boxes of decorations. Family Christmas portrait? Nope. Christmas cards? Nope. Gifts? At least the mailman comes to the office and I won’t have to stand in line at the post office with the other people who have waited until the last minute.
Every year about this time, we tell ourselves that next year we’re going to get started on the weekend after Thanksgiving, but then Thanksgiving weekend comes and we usually end up just relaxing and enjoying a long weekend. "We’ll get started next weekend." And then somehow, there is a time warp and weeks disappear and it’s the week before Christmas. I think the holiday season is a lot like childbirth. It can be painful while you’re in the middle of it, but then you forget the bad parts, have really great memories of the good parts and decide to do it all over again.
Okay, next year, I am REALLY not waiting until the last minute!
Speaking of last minute, do you know that Saturday, December 20th is the last shipping day that the Post Office will guarantee domestic delivery by Christmas Eve? If you’re still looking for gifts, we are here to help you out. We are participating in "National Free Shipping Day" today, December 18th for all orders totaling $49 or more. There are over 250 online retailers participating, including Target, Macy’s, JC Penney’s, Kohl’s and us. It’s the last chance for all the other procrastinators like me to make sure that our order will arrive just in the nick of time. Please enter coupon code "freeshipping" at checkout. It expires promptly at 11:59 PM Pacific Time tonight, Thursday, 12/18. In order to ensure that we can get your order processed in time and to the Post Office by Saturday, we will be sending all in-stock items and canceling any backorders. (Fine print – offer is not valid on prior orders, nor will it be extended past 11:59 PM on 12/18. Offer is only valid on USPS Priority Mail – Domestic shipping. A $49 minimum purchase is required.)
What sorts of scrapbooking supplies could you give as gifts? Well, we have 183 new items for you to choose from! We have a gorgeous red Christmas Cheer 12×12 album from K& Co, along with other pieces from the Christmas Cheer collection and the Holiday Cheer collection from Creative Imaginations. Creative Imaginations also brings us the beautiful Radiance collection of foiled and glittered snowflakes and the Lego City Transportation collection. We have two new collections from SEI; Oasis and Black Orchid (along with matching Bazzill pack).
We’ve also been designing more exclusive SYT products, with themes such as Baking Cookies, Pet Christmas, more Star Wars, Spanish Christmas, Military Christmas and of course, lots of travel. We have four custom die cuts for you this week; a custom Christmas teddy bear, a custom Christmas stocking, a custom dog Christmas stocking and a custom snow globe 12×12 picture frame laser die cut (it was our customer Norma’s idea and it was a great one!). Click here to see everything: http://www.scrapyourtrip.com/121708.html.
As always, thanks for your business!
Julie Swatek, President
Scrap Your Trip®
www.ScrapYourTrip.com
‘cuz life is a trip worth scrappin’®
December 18th, 2008
