Christmas cards—that’s what I call them, please deal with it—used to be a prominent and fun part of this season. Beginning as early as Thanksgiving weekend, my mailbox would begin to deliver happy greetings from family and friends near and far. There were often several cards arriving each day, many in colorful envelopes festooned with holiday stickers. Sometimes there would be a newsy letter enclosed, recapping significant personal events in the year gone by. Often there would be handwritten notes on the inside or a photo print (remember those?) enclosed.
In those days, by Christmas Eve, dozens of Christmas cards
would be taped all over my doorways. It was not so long ago, as recently as
five years past. But those days, sadly, are vanishing like snow in the sunlight.
Writing and sending Christmas cards takes a chunk of time, extra effort, and
money—all items in short supply in most people’s lives today. Postage rate hikes have not been kind to the greeting card custom. It is considerably more
expensive to mail cards today than it was in years past.
I suppose we should feel lucky to receive even a “holiday”
text, at this point. At least, we know we are remembered. And there is always the
occasional “e-card” in my email's Inbox. But for me, a text or e-card can never generate that small
thrill of seeing a Christmas card peeking out from my mailbox. I would always
save the daily cache of cards to open last, a special treat after all the other mundane mail
was disposed of. Receiving cards was a part of the Christmas magic that today
is devolving into yet another “once upon a time” tale for the grandkids.
It is less than four days before Christmas Eve, and I have
received nine cards. I’m grateful for every one of them. But each year their
numbers are fewer. The piano used to be where I started standing up the cards,
moving them onto doorways by mid-December as their numbers grew. But there’s no
more taping cards on doorways; all the Christmas cards now fit easily atop my piano.
I, for one, will not let the treasured tradition of sending
Christmas cards go gently into that goodnight. I’ll keep writing my annual
newsletter as long as I can, too. So, to all my Christmas correspondents, it’s
in the cards that you’ll have at least one old-fashioned Christmas greeting in
your mailbox. My hope for you is that my card will have lots of company.
Merry Christmas!
