this is the story

I take a ballpoint pen--blue. I take some typing paper--thoroughly blank. I let my mind run through all the Christmas songs I have ever heard, and I sketch.

they pile up around the house--sheets full of delicate little Christmas drawings--until I'm ready to cut them out. that's where I ended up last evening, scissors in hand, pile of cards-to-be on the carpet next to me. right now they are safe in a recycled envelope, waiting to be mounted.

for three months now I have been collecting cereal boxes. it's unlike me to plan so far in advance--that just goes to show you how much I look forward to this little piece of Christmas.

my very favourite part of it all is giving them all away. I carry that envelope around with me all of December and I hold it open for people as I say merry Christmas. at first it's a strange confrontation--what are these? they wonder. and why? but I love watching everyone look and single out the cards they like best. sometimes they choose quickly. sometimes they beg for more time to consider.

for this year, I want to make some of my small, pasted-on-the-back-of-a-cereal-box cards into something just a bit nicer. with this goal in mind, I have devised a game for you. are you ready?

whoever can guess how many cardboard boxes I've been able to save over the last three months will win the prize. the guessing game will last for the next six days. let's say til noon on Sunday. that's a good time.

do we need rules? perhaps a few.

1. please post your guess in the comments here. it'll be good to have them all in one place.
2. guesses must be posted as positive integers between 0 and 60.
3. there will be no giving of hints whatsoever. don't ask for any.
4. in the event that two guesses are equally correct in the mathematical sense, I will decide the final winner by chance somehow, unless a more amusing alternative presents itself.

and for my beloved roommates, or anyone else who may find themselves tempted to cheat:

5. no sneaking around trying to find my stash of boxes so you can count them, okay?

what's the prize, you ask?

a custom set of ten 4 ¼ by 5 ½ inch Christmas cards, based on your choice of all the Christmas sketches I've done this year. I'll scan them in for everyone to see, announce the winner, give him or her a bit of time to choose, and arrange to have the printed cards sent out to that lucky person by Tuesday at the latest. if, that is, whoever wins can decide that fast.