Holiday Cards

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By Andrea Delbanco Editor in Chief, TIME for Kids Of the many stressors of family life, planning a holiday card hardly merits a mention. But it’s on my to-do list this week, and I find the annual task daunting enough to delve into it here.  For my first several years as a parent, this was one of my favorite creative tasks each year. My close friend, a designer, would create magical images of my children. My favorites include a snap of my girls snuggled on a sled in my living room that she transformed into a snowy scene, and an image of the girls playing in the yard that she set inside a snow globe. We put time and effort into dreaming up ideas and executing them because it brought us both so much joy. But things have changed. Cancer took this friend from me a few years ago. And my kids are too old to pose for photoshop fun.  I could skip sending a card entirely, but I won’t. So I begged my kids to smile at every scenic stop we made on a family trip in November, putting unrealistic pressure on the whole enterprise. What single photo and greeting could convey my gratitude for my good fortune while humbly, fervently wishing the same for others? Is this tradition part of your family life? How has it grown and changed along with your children? Write to me at andrea@time.com. It can be a simple email, no digital holiday card attachment required. Best, Andrea

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