Mr. and Mrs. David and Allyson DeVito

When David and I were married almost five years ago, I changed my last name to DeVito, dropped my original middle name of Ann and made Beutke my official middle name. It was hard at first since I'd always been Allyson A. Beutke, but now I'm used to signing Allyson Beutke DeVito. However, one of my biggest pet peeves is when people address cards and letters to us, and write "Mr. and Mrs. David DeVito" or even just to me as "Mrs. David DeVito."

I love my husband and our last name, but I didn't change my first name to David when I married him. It's still Allyson. I realize this is a custom that my grandparents and probably their grandparents followed, but the feminist in me says it's past time to wake up and address both names in the relationship, not just the man.

The reason I bring this up is because I love receiving holiday cards in the mail, and I love sending them. They've started arriving in our mailbox, and I'm very appreciative of them, but it doesn't take that much extra time to write or type "Mr. and Mrs. David and Allyson DeVito," or better yet, make it shorter and just write "The DeVito Family."

OK, I'll get off my soap box now. I realize this is a small thing to complain it, but it really annoys me as David and my mother both know well. Now, back to addressing those Christmas cards the right way.