KAREN WIGHT -- No place like home

Thanksgiving weekend at our house is the jump-start of the holiday

season. Four consecutive days are enough time to feast, play, relax and

get busy pulling the boxes of Christmas decorations out of the attic.

The kids insist that the outdoor Christmas lights go up first. In a

friendly spirit of neighborhood competition, most of the street begins to

light up with decorations this weekend as well.

I think our kids just use the lights as an excuse to climb on the

roof, but this is the weekend they will be allowed to break all the rules

and get into the spirit.

My good-natured husband is dreading the ritual this year. After this

year’s remodel, which included changing the fascia board on the outside

of the house, all new cup hooks will need to be put up before the

lighting madness begins. I brought home a few packs of ‘new and improved’

cup hooks last week and was met with an unenthusiastic groan. The kids

will change his mind.

As the rest of the family is busy with the outside, I will work on

this year’s edition of the Wight Christmas card. I love Christmas cards.

In some ways, they are my favorite part of the holiday. I love getting

the mail every day. It’s like getting little gifts in the mailbox.

I love seeing how families grow up. I love hearing from families both

down the street and on the other side of the world. Our annual

information exchange is always a highlight.

I especially love receiving cards with photos. I have a big album in

which I keep all the pictures. This is a labor of love to keep up with,

but I can track some families from their wedding through babies through

children entering college -- 20 years of watching families grow.

My kids love to go back and see what their friends used to look like

-- babies to braces to budding beauties: It’s all in the albums.

Christmas cards take time, but I think it’s worth the effort. Each

year, Christmas has its own “mood.” The clothes, the hair, the colors,

the state of the family.

The cards don’t have to be elaborate. You can choose a favorite

picture and have it made into a card or choose from a great selection of

ready-made photo card “frames” at any number of department, stationery or

photo stores. The photo-frame cards make sending cards almost painless

and the choices have become much more creative.

If you are a martyr like I am, you make your own cards. I consider my

cards to be my year’s worth of arts and crafts with the kids. Some years,

we take a black-and-white photo; some years we do the color version.

In past years, I have personally hand-tinted more than 200 Christmas

photos, which is easier than you might think.

Other years, I have literally stapled the photo on the preprinted card

and called it good, but each year I am glad that I make the effort

because I am always so thankful that other crazy parents make the effort

as well.

I used to think that a printed letter was a little impersonal, but

I’ve changed my mind. It became too hard to apprise all of the

out-of-town recipients of the family happenings as the kids got older and

more involved with school, sports and projects.

The kids moved past learning to walk and started to learn about life

in their own individual ways that were worth reporting to the masses.

Now, I include a printed brief synopsis on the kids so everyone can read

our annual report.

If you haven’t started your Christmas cards already, make this weekend

work for you. Get the camera out and take a roll of film. Go to the store

and see the selection of card choices you have. Get your address book out

and start writing out the envelopes. Then give the gift of good will and

glad tidings to everyone in your little black book.

* KAREN WIGHT is a Newport Beach resident. Her column is published

Saturdays.