One of My Favorite Things About the Christmas Season

One of the best things about the Christmas season is Christmas cards.  They are, to me anyway, catalysts for continued friendships.  I love hearing from people who I no longer see; I love letting them know I still think of them, even if their only proof of that is a card once a year.  Call them Christmas Cards, Holiday Cards, whatever you want; they are Christmas cards to me.  It was Christmas that got them started, so Christmas gets the credit, even for a non-believing Pagan like me. 

Of course, it is a chore getting them out; that’s the payment for the joy, the work in writing up the envelopes and adding a personal note inside each card.  Payment for the work is two-fold.  First, there is the satisfaction of finishing the chore and getting the cards into the mail.  One batch was put into the mail yesterday, and the final batch is stamped, ready to take to the post office as I write this blog.  I am finished with this year’s cards.  Unless I get a card from someone unexpected, from someone not on my address list.  Then they will get a card, possibly late, and their contact info will be added to my outlook files.

In years past, I used my computer to print labels to ease the job of addressing envelopes.  That seemed a bit impersonal, as if I were writing a business letter, or, worse, sending out junk mail.  So now I write out each envelope, using a fountain pen to add a bit of class.  It would look really nice if I had better penmanship.  I still use the free, decorated Christmas labels for my return address, though.  Hundreds of those free labels sent by various organizations flock into my mailbox each year.  I want my recipients to be able to update their files or add me if I am not on their list.  If I used handwriting for my return address, they might get it wrong. 

My second reward is in getting cards from those who only write me once a year.  Sometimes there is even a bit of news or a photo of the family in with the card.  Those are bonus features.  Still, just the card contact is enough.  Sometimes, during the days between Christmas and the New Year, I will pick a couple of the cards I received and write a letter to the sender, perhaps even enclosing a photo. 

This year I got to thinking of some people I had not seen since the 70s and had not heard from since the early 90s.  I Googled them and found their addresses.  Their cards will be in the mail later today.  It will be a joy to hear from them, if they choose to respond.  One was my roommate at U of L, the other a shipmate. 

Part of the Christmas Spirit is goodwill toward mankind, and the sharing of sentiments in Christmas cards does a lot to foster that goodwill.  One need not be particularly religious or even spiritual to garner joy from contact with far away, far away in time and space both, friends and auld acquaintances.

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