Merry Christmas– or why I continue to send Christmas cards and mail them with a stamp!
A few days ago many of you may have seen the CNN opinion piece by Richard Quest on “Why I Still Send Christmas Cards” and it really resonated with me–but then it’s an idea that has been around for a long time before email, before texting and certainly even before stamps in another way–
The brief history of sending Christmas cards dates back to the 1800’s and LONDON which is where many of our “Christmas” traditions come from in America– funny we broke away from England but many of our fashions, foods and traditions continued to influence and seep into our culture long after the Revolution.
As an Artist and Traveler I like to harken back to the days of my childhood- getting out papers, scissors and some crayons or markers and make each card but as my list of recipients has grown, I flux between mass produced cards and handmade cards but I still enjoy taking the time to send a personal greeting that can’t be forwarded to others but remains personal and still a piece of me– not an electronic greeting which can sometimes feel cold in my opinion. Don’t get me wrong I still treasure each email greeting, each sentence on my social media any thought directed towards me in this very me centered generation.
Richard Quest in his CNN piece mentioned what he called Christmas Carders… and I agree- I know very well there are those on my list that will never choose a card, mail it and post it and there are those who will always use Facebook or some other social media app but however you choose keep sending others Christmas Greetings and if you don’t celebrate Christmas don’t be offended we may not know that and we are just sharing our Spirit !
I look forward to opening each card and in fact for me it’s become a special ritual — I often put the cards in a basket as my mother used to do, but then I make a nice hot cup of coffee or tea and sit in a quiet place and open each card like opening presents- reading and really focusing on each person.
I admit I am not as organized as some, my mother used to keep a very detailed list of everyone she sent a card to, and in return would mark each card she received, and as the years went by some fall off the list in either column- those that had passed, or maybe just were no longer “carders” and I would like to attempt to do the same but admittedly I am not that organized or maybe I just don’t want to admit that I send far more cards than I will ever receive in return. Like friends – there are “carders” who are fair weather– you will never get a card… or even an acknowledgement.
Growing up I used to sit with the basket of received cards as well reading each letter, and knowing some letters would be completely over the top detailing every month of someones life, some greetings would just simply be signed- no words just a signature and my basket is similar, some are beautiful photos taken by the sender, and others are just a name scribbled on the card– even after I know they probably had so much more to say.
As a traveler, do you take time to write a card, drop a note? I was traveling recently and overheard someone say they would be sending PostCards due to the cost of postage and thought what a great idea!! You could gather a postcard from each place you had visited or maybe a few and wait and send them at Christmas- something unique and a great way to share one of your favorite places! Postcard stamps currently cost 35cents and first class stamps are 55 cents each- wow what a difference- you can mail 3 postcards to 2 first class cards- but then the Postcard greetings need to be kept shorter– just food for thought.
Other thoughts for Travelers- maybe in your travel journal you can use something for your Christmas Letter or card– take it to a photo copy place and make copies and enclose it or make that your Greeting!
Photos- choose a photo and use a site like mpix, shutterfly or any of the other ones and create your cards with one of your personal photos- this may be a bit more pricey than a box of cards, but more personal. Watch for deals during the year and make the cards up prior- often new sites will run promotions or at various holidays thru the year will run 50percent off and so on.
What happens IF you are traveling out of country during the Holidays– mail the cards prior or wait to mail them when you return– I don’t think there is a “rule” on when to send the cards- I have gotten greetings as early as right after Thanksgiving and I have received greetings as late as into January- of the New Year.
Have kids – get them involved- sharing your traditions or creating new ones and keeping those connections open with “carders” I think is important. Kids are very creative, and they also only know what you share, by getting them involved in the Carding tradition they can be introduced to relatives that aren’t on Social Media and the importance of sharing with people in a non-digital way. I treasure each hand written note from my niece just as I treasured each card from my Great Aunt even when she turned 100 and her writing had gotten a bit harder to read. The treat was in the receiving of the thoughts and effort she had taken to send something to me.
Just to share a few more personal thoughts- I really enjoy the photos as many of my friends are very accomplished photographers and creative people! But honestly I also look forward to hearing from relatives who I haven’t seen in years, but I have fond memories of == those are very special greetings! Someday in the not so distant future I would love to get a card from each of the 50 states but there a few states I haven’t made contacts in so that will be a goal! I recently met someone who was related to someone born in the same small town as one of my family members and it really touched me! What an amazing event that in this big world you can still meet someone who shares something in common like that- a distant birthtown so far away.
And sometimes you wonder why you don’t hear from someone– what happened? Was it something you said or are they just dropping you? Sometimes I ponder but then I remember that you have to “live with you” == do what’s right for your soul- are you going to regret not reaching out- so do it= send that card or pick up the phone!
Remember those that may not be getting out- there are those who don’t enjoy the Holidays for a variety of reasons- sending a personal card can be a great way to let them know you are available to listen or get together one on one== not all of us relish big get-togethers!
Please find time to share a piece of yourself- take a moment and join the “carders” even if you only send one– there is someone you know that is not on Social Media and may not be for awhile or ever.. so maybe “gift” that person a piece of yourself with a hand chosen card whether you buy it or make it and get a stamp and mail it! Keep this alive and besides that card can’t be hacked, forwarded or lost in the virtual mess!
So as I mentioned– I am not the most organized so if you are reading this and have not received my personal card– it’s probably here in this stack I am still working on– I agonize over the details sometimes– do I send the cardinals, the church scene or just grab the cheerful silly Santa card even though we don’t have snow here where I live?
Be well- Merry Christmas and I hope I can fulfill my goal of mailing a card to someone in each of the 50 states in the coming years!
Yours respectfully- April
I love exploring these 50 states and sharing it in small groups-exploring and taking some photos to capture the experiences!
Thanks for reading my blog!
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