Holiday Score Sheet

Now that we have celebrated Thanksgiving, it's time to start looking forward to holiday cards in the mail! WAY more fun than bills!!!

I saw this in a magazine two years ago and tore it out. I thought it would make holiday-card time even more fun! I did keep score last year (I forgot what I got!), and it was kind of fun to really examine all the different cards. I'm not proposing we play, just thought it was fun to share :)

Gain points when you receive cards from:
*Dentist, insurance agent, hairdresser, dry cleaner, mailman +0.5
*Your own mother +0.5
*Another relative +1
*Friend via e-mail +0.5
*Your boss +1
*Friend you see at least once a week +1
*Above, with reference to an inside joke +3
*Long-distance friend, devoid of any personal message +2
*Above, with personal message of at least three lines +5
*Anyone who includes a handwritten personal note of more than three sentences +5
*Long-lost friend who hasn't been heard from in 20 years +10

Lose points when:
*Card and envelope are the same piece of paper -1
*Signature is imprinted rather than handwritten inside card -2
*Photo is of a helpless pet in a holiday costume -3
*Your name is spelled incorrectly -4
*Card plays annoying music that you can't turn off -4
*Highly religious card celebrates faith other than your own -5
*Card is the same one you received last year -6
*Return-address label was provided by charity to which sender may not have actually contributed -7
*Family newsletter contains words such as gallbladder, spleen, and gout -8
*Family newsletter is from ex who is (not so) subtly gloating over his recent wedding and cushy new job -10
*Long-lost friend who hasn't been heard from in 20 years asks for money or a place to live -20

Bonus points
*Gilded envelope +0.5
*Sticker decoration
*Handwritten return address +1
*Handwritten address +1
*Card in which all family members appear to have signed their own names +2
*Newsletter or family photo in card +2
*Card with moving parts +3
*Extremely clever handmade card +4
*Oversize card requiring extra postage +5
*Card sent from foreign country +6
*Newsletter with humor at progeny's expense +8
*Card with check, cash, or gift certificate +20