Summer Camp Greetings

So the girls are off for their summer fun – one is at camp and the other, seeing the world. Boy, are they lucky! I remember my years as a camper; first ½ the summer, then the big 8-weeker kicked in, and then on to a career as a CIT and Counselor! No matter what age or stage, one of the best parts of the day was when the mail came in (in those days the package “restrictions” weren’t rigid and the boxes of fun, and candy, of course, would pour in). If you send your kids to camp, you know what I mean about “package restrictions”!

If I could send packages to my daughter, I would pack them with fun things she could do in her bunk with her buddies – lanyard string, stickers, jacks, mad libs, beads, silly string, a deck of cards and her favorite Starburst candy – not ½ the snack cupboard, money, extra clothing, clandestine electronics and the like that created the whole package restriction thing in the first place! So, to what do moms and dads turn in droves? Greeting cards! We send cards somewhat in excess I must admit – and would do so regardless of whether we could send packages or not!

There are so many fabulous cards out there, some camp-specific, but many are more general fun, cute and adorable “I miss you types” like the Carlton Card I sent today that simply says “Me? Miss You?” And on the inside, “Only all the time.” Of the 20or so I have stockpiled to use this summer, this card is the only one that doesn’t have a picture; the design is all about the typeface. But, I will tell you that animals rule in the “I Miss You” department – monkeys, puppies of all breeds, mice, bears and of course, kittens - are the most popular images. My arsenal includes cards from Avanti, American Greetings, Design Design, Recycled Paper Products, Carlton and Hallmark, versed with sentiments including:

“If I sent you a card every time I thought of you, you wouldn’t need a mailbox…You’d need your own post office!”

“On a scale of 1 to 10…I miss you a million!”

“Just sending you a little hug…Did you feel it?”

“You’re always on my mind… And always in my heart, miss you.”

On the back of the envelope, I, of course, embellish with stickers of all varieties and glitter. The one time I literally sealed with a kiss (kissing the back of the envelope like my mom did) she was mortified and begged me never to do that again! Corny, I know.

I run to the mailbox everyday so I have my “aha” moment when her letter is there awaiting me. She’s equipped with some of the best Camp stationery and postcards “this side of the Hudson” designed by Penny Laine Papers and purchased from the store I call “Camp Central,” Scarsdale Child’s Play.

So, in a couple of hours, I’ll be thumbing past the bills and credit card solicitations, eager to read about water flumes, ziplines, soccer, chili dogs, painting, jump rope and more contained within the envelope carefully addressed in the script of my eighth grader and embellished with, you guessed it, stickers and glitter.

Happy summer!

-Patti