Christmas Cards

Every year for as long as I can remember, my dad has sent out Christmas cards with letters inside. Then, a few years ago, my mom got tired of his rambling delightful cards and decided to send out her own. So now, my mom sends her card to her friends & immediate family, and my dad sends his card to his friends & the rest of our family. I'm pretty convinced that my mom's friends think I'm the spawn of Satan and my dad's friends think I'm God's Gift To Earth. Have I made it clear which parent I most closely resemble yet? My dad dedicates a paragraph in his letter for each member of his family: one for my mom, one for me, one for my sister, and in recent years, a few sentences about mine or my sister's significant others. Let me tell you how well that one went over... In each of these paragraphs, my dad proceeds to highlight each of our accomplishments and accoutrements. My dad's a pretty clever guy, so these tend to be fairly insightful and clever, and usually have some sort of reference to his favorite quote, "All I'm good for is writing the check, what can I say?"

I am telling you all of this because for one, I am clearly becoming more and more like my dad, rambling on and on and on. And for two, I'm wondering what the socially acceptable thing to do is. I am a grownup. I have a grownup job, I live 600 miles from my parents, I am (kind of) financially independent. So do I still let my parents send my Christmas news for me to family members and friends who only know about me via these Christmas cards? I mean, my dad's a horrid speller so I always get to proofread his letters, which is how I was able to eliminate the paragraph about my then-boyfriend a few years ago. And really, I have my own news to share! Maybe my parents don't know everything! Although the reality is, if I haven't told my parents, the chances of me wanting it to be revealed to extended family are slim to none. But bear with me for argument's sake.

Are you going to send your own Christmas cards? Let Mom & Dad continue to write diatribes about what happened to you in 2010? I'm seriously at a loss here. For fun, let's say I do write my own Christmas letters, stuff them in cards, sign them, and mail them on their way to the refrigerators of my nearest and dearest. I'm all for it. Here's my biggest dilemma: WHAT PICTURE DO I INCLUDE?! There is no significant other (hence the occasional then-boyfriend references) and I don't even have a pet to take a Christmas portrait with. And aren't pictures like... basically the whole point? I'm at a loss.