I've always wanted to do this, and now I am. Since I have all of 10 subscribers to my blog, I am hosting my first ever blog contest. You are welcome, of course, to invite a friend to join the contest. Do you read Real Simple magazine? I picked up a copy the other day and they have a great Holiday Card Score Sheet in there. Based on the Christmas cards you receive in the mail, you earn or lose points.
I'm going to use the Holiday Card Score-Sheet for my contest. I will detail the points earnings in a minute. Whoever comments back to me on December 31st, 2008, by 11:59 p.m., with the most points, wins! The winner will be announced New Year's Day. We run an honest blog here and everyone is on their honor. (Note added 12/08/08: In the event of a tie, I will use a random number generator to choose the winner. OK? OK.)
The prize will be a $25 gift card to Anthropologie, one of my favorite stores in the world, full of delicious, girly stuff you wouldn't buy for yourself but you sure wish someone else would.
Gain points when you receive cards from:
Dentist, insurance agent, hairdresser, dry cleaner, mailman +0.5 each
Your own mother +0.5
Another relative +1
Friend via email +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 five sentences +5
Long-lost friend who hasn't been heard from in 20 years +10
Lose points when:
Card and envelope are 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
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
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
Handwritten return 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
OK, so gather all your holiday greetings and go for the gold. I can't wait to see how many points you get. Here's another reason to hang on to all those cards and letters. Hope you're enjoying your holiday season!
