Mail Club- Bleeding Heart Christmas '17
Sometimes I'm a hot mess. And this holiday year is one of those times.
But I don't want to be a mess. I really, really care about getting cards out + having them be stylish + cool, but sometimes, I'm just a mess. I was ready to rally hard even though I wasn't looking forward to it but I looked at the calendar, thought about ordering my cards, and then did some simple calculations
(order time) + (shipping time) + (addressing time) + (mailing time) + (current date) =
holy shit these cards are not going to arrive on time
Despite the time crunch I was still ready to try. I started looking around at other options (maybe a local card pack) + realized how much money was going to go into these cards no matter how I tried to do them + that addressing that many envelopes this year would most likely throw me into a nervous break down + would include at least 5 rounds of crying. And I'm pretty sure the spirit of the holiday is not about crying in frustration (although I know that's the reality for a lot of people.)
But you know what is the spirit of Christmas?
Loving people + donating what you can to worthy organizations.
So this year we sent out e-greetings. (But I printed one for photographing.)
Our first E-Christmas
instead of nervous breakdown tears this year, Our family + friends got this message instead:
Hello and happy holidays to our wonderful friends + family.
We are not even sure we're getting a Christmas Tree up this year, and Kyle forgot to buy Eva an advent calendar before December 1. We're holiday messes but we're not grinches!
We really wanted to get a card with a hand lettered envelope into the mail to you, but let's be real. We're late on adventing, we're not going to make post office deadlines.
Instead we're sending you this e-greeting, and with the money we're saving from purchasing cards + materials + stamps we're donating $2 on your behalf to one of three charities, totalling $150 in donations. It's not much but it'll be sent with love.
Click the link to let us know where you'd like your card money to go instead this year. We have a local (Wish) International (VIDEA) or an Environmental (Pacific Wild) organization for you to choose from.
And we know you probably are really bummed not to have an Eva-Kyle original for your fridge this year, but you can just print out our e-card if you'd like.
Love you so much! Happy Spirit of the Holidays
-Eva + Kyle
Here's information about the three charities
The form where our people were redirected had the following information on it so they could make informed decisions about our charities before choosing one of them.
Wish Drop-In Centre Society
Eva volunteered here from 2011-2016 (and still would if time permitted) It's a safe, low-barrier space in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside for female-identified sex trade workers to come, get a hot meal, shower, hang out, pick up new clothes, do their makeup, see a nurse, and build a sense of community. Their core values are of acceptance, caring, dignity & respect.
VIDEA (Victoria International Development Education Association)
VIDEA sent Eva to Zambia in 2013. VIDEA is committed to ending global poverty and creating a more just and equitable world. We live in a world where extreme poverty and a lack of access to education, health care, a clean environment, gender equality, human rights and economic opportunities are a reality for many. The challenges of poverty are exacerbated by the HIV-AIDS pandemic, which is having a profound effect on daily life and social and economic development. VIDEA believes that a key part of addressing these challenges is to work with youth and community in Canada, to build lasting relationships with overseas partners and communities, and to advocate for global responsibility. Their approach involves innovative education in schools, engaging the public, overseas exchanges, and community-based international development projects.
Pacific Wild
We wanted to include an environmental cause on here too, and nerdy Kyle found this one by reading National Geographic. They are located in the Great Bear Rainforest on Denny Island. They are committed to defending wildlife and their habitat on Canada’s Pacific coast by developing and implementing conservation solutions in collaboration with First Nations communities, scientists, other organizations and individuals. Pacific Wild supports innovative research, public education, community outreach and awareness to achieve the goal of lasting environmental protection in the lands and waters of the Great Bear Rainforest.
Happy spirit of the holidays!
It was finally time for us stop dialling in our Christmas outfits and so I made us these stunning little Christmas turtlenecks based on a DIY my mom made for my sister and me in the 90s. Here’s how you can get glorious for Christmas too.