For Better or For Worse by Lynn Johnston for December 28, 2012

Like say third cousins 15 times removed?

That sounds like my family.

My mother and father had something like 3 sets of “Joan and John” friends.. they never knew whose card was whose either.

We have been known to send a card to some random family from time to time.

Every time I receive an email announcing “Sarah’s” birthday, I have no idea which Sarah.

7 David’s and counting for my friends, whoops make that 9 if I count the 2 cousins also.

Our family got Biblical. Most of the men were named Jacob, but went by their given middle names. Except when they didn’t.

No postmark clue? Recheck the address?

We have been there. I have about 75 first cousins. My mother and father both came from families with 12 children.

It was not from my family. In 1983, I was still single.

No last name and no return address? And they want a card back? Lots of luck with that.

I have gotten a few cards like that over the years….I have a lot of cousins too, so I keep it around!!

Hmmmm….. sounds a little like the Kings family.(Remember them?)

I no longer have to worry about unknown cards. Family gotten smaller and no one mails cards out.

Years ago, I dated two girls and didn’t realize until later research they were 3d cousins.

We had a friend who would “regift” Christmas cards. He started chains of them because he requested the recipients to sign, date them then pass them on. It was great fun.

My wife left a note about how nice this lady’s garden looked and how it picks her up every time she delivers the kids to school. The police came looking for a stalker.

Since Lynn couldn’t send a card in return, I wonder if she ever got more from Stan, Gretchen, Barb & Kenny?

This was way back when everyone still sent cards to everyone else.

Cards like that to my house always got these 3 words on them in bright red letters “Return to sender”

I have a sibling who would never so much as make one call or email one word to us, all year long…but over Christmas she would do a ‘form letter", telling everyone how wonderful they were, all the remarkable things they did throughout the year, and how rich they were. She’d scribble at the top, the name of whoever was getting that particular copy………….and that was as personal as those letters ever got.

Never once were there the words, “How are you?” or any attempt to actually socialize with us. We all tried for years to reach out keep up regular family communications but gradually gave up because that one letter a year was all we’d ever get. The rest of the year we might as well have all dropped dead. ……….Eventually my family used to refer to that once-a-year impersonal note as “That d*mn holiday letter.” Once, my aunt got one, and I didn’t. She was so mad she mailed her copy to me…..“If I have to read it, so do YOU!”