Christmas cards

I am a big fan of sending Christmas cards. My mom wrote hundreds of cards to cabin guests, friends and family each year, and I have happily continued the tradition.

In our fast-paced, techno-laden world of today, sending and receiving a handwritten greeting is priceless. I think back 50 years ago when my mom used to regularly write letters to her brothers and sisters who lived in other states. There was no email, texting, Zoom or FaceTime back then. In addition to the occasional phone calls, she would write a letter, drop it in the mailbox, and then wait for their response, sometimes weeks or months later.

Holiday cards were such a treat! I loved getting the mail in the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Each card was like a gift to open, admiring the design, and reading the verse and the handwritten greeting from the sender. Sometimes the card would be homemade or a family photo or letter would be included, too. Everyone in our household read the cards each evening and they were placed together in a special, green Christmas sleigh basket.

My mom would spend many hours writing her cards, and I would help by stuffing the envelopes, and licking the stamps and return address labels. It was a big task, but we knew the love would be appreciated and returned.

There is a personal connection forged by exchanging Christmas cards. The act of sending a folded piece of paper with a handwritten greeting from one house to another is like a yarn tying each family together into a beautiful tapestry. It was, and is, a simple way to stay connected with those people in our lives who, in some way, have witnessed our journey.

Not as many people send cards today and many, sadly, are opting for e-greetings or none at all. I, for one, hope that cards prevail just like books and small, independent bookstores. The act of holding and turning the pages of a tangible object brings a special comfort that we can’t get from the digital form.

I still receive the same joy from opening my mailbox in December.

💌 📬 💌