Have I ever mentioned how card obsessed my in-laws are? I think that they are the reason that Hallmark is rolling in millions (if not more). They send a card for every known occasion on the planet. If there is a card for it, they have sent it. And whoa is the person who does not reciprocate in kind.
Late birthday, Christmas, hey you got your lawn mowed, etc. cards are not tolerated. They have my husband so conditioned that if he even thinks that a card will arrive late in the mail he freaks out. Then he does the outrages and pays to make sure something arrives on the appointed day by ordering flowers, etc. (Which means that we are the ones making FTD rich.)
Recently we have had two fiascos when trying to send my MIL her cards. Once for Easter and now for Mother's Day as well. Her Easter card was returned by the post office in an envelope with an apology from them. Yeah, their automatic machines ate half the card and the only thing still legible on it? Our return address of course. (This was given in person to MIL when she visited. Just so my husband could prove that it had been sent and we were not thoughtless neglectful mother-hating people.)
The Mother's Day card made it's return to us in the mail, several days after it was sent out. Why? Postage due. Apparently sending a flat card that is a teensy bit bigger than 6" x 9" costs 97 cents. Silly me thinking that two first class stamps (twice the normal size card rate) would be enough. You would think that having destroyed the previous card they would have cut me a break. Too much to hope for eh?
Now in order to prove that the Post Office once again let us down on the card delivery, said card was resent. This time in an 8.5" x 10" manilla envelope with four first class stamps on it. (That sucker better not come back.) Why not just add the postage to the front of the card and resend it? Hubby has to send the "evidence" in the original returned state. Otherwise MIL may not believe that one of her cards was once again struck down in transit by the USPS.
Oh, yeah, we had to make another contribution to the FTD coffers. No way is that card going to make it there by Sunday.
