White, Green and Red Christmas Tree Skirt, Round Fleece Holiday Mat, Xmas Stand Cover, Collar Base Decor

Gus writes one Christmas card a year, to his sister, and it says "Merry Christmas. Gus." It takes him three days. His wife sends sixty cards in an afternoon, with stamps, notes and a tiny photo of the dog. Gus has been told the neighbors expect a card and the mail carrier expects something shaped like a tin of cookies. In a moment of panic he found this round mat: white, scattered with green pine sprigs, red bows and dark berries, and written across it in gold script, over and over, Happy Holidays.

He laid it under the tree and felt a wave of relief. The message was there. It was repeated forty times. It was in gold. Nobody had to hold a pen. When the neighbors came by he gestured at the floor and said, "Read it." They read it. Some read it aloud. His neighbor Pete, who sends a card with a fourteen-page family newsletter, looked at the mat and said, "That is the most efficient greeting I have ever seen." Gus, wearing the expression of a man who has dodged homework, said, "Thank you. I have been working on it for years."

His wife has pointed out that the mat is not technically a card. Gus says it is a card with better coverage. The truth is that it makes a bright, friendly base for any tree: crisp white with green and red details and warm gold writing that says exactly what you meant to say. It is soft, flat and round, and it hides the stand while giving presents a handwritten welcome. Gus keeps it up until Valentine's Day to remind himself that he has, technically, greeted everyone.

Bright white, green pine, red bows and gold script: the whole thing reads like very good wrapping paper that happens to be a floor. The repeating message makes a ring around the trunk, so every guest sees a greeting from whichever side of the tree they approach. Red and green ornaments feel right at home, and gold ones echo the lettering. If a doorway faces the tree, the mat welcomes visitors before they have taken off their coats. It is also a gentle hint to anyone who has not yet said hello.

Give it to the person who sends forty cards every year and keeps a spreadsheet of who sent one back. Give it to the person who has never sent a card and means well. Give it to the host who needs something to greet the party before the host does; the floor will do the talking. Add a stamp to the box as a joke. The joke is for the one who can finally stop writing addresses. Everyone else will read the mat and smile.

• Material: 100% polyester fleece, soft and plush
• Print: One-sided print on a white base
• Edges: Hemmed for a clean, durable finish
• Size: One size, round with a center opening for the trunk; pre-constructed, size may vary by +/- 2.5 in
• Made: Pre-constructed and assembled in the USA from globally sourced parts
• Care: Spot clean only
• AKA: white, green and red christmas tree skirt, round fleece holiday mat, xmas stand cover, collar base decor