I got my first e-Christmas card yesterday. The friend who sent it explained that in an effort to be green, she was emailing cards rather than sending them through the mail. I consider myself fairly green, so I see where she's coming from, but it didn't feel the same. Take away my "saving the environment" status if you must, but I'm sending real get-em-in-your-mail-box-hold-em-in-your-hand Christmas cards this year.
I love getting Christmas cards each year. I brave the snow and ice to head down my driveway to my mailbox, starting the weekend after Thanksgiving, to see how many cards are awaiting me that day. I love that I know my friend Susan's is the first I receive every year. I love that, even though I have never met the daughters of Wade's former co-worker Joe, I get overwhelmed seeing how much his girls have grown since last Christmas. I love when we get a card from someone for the first time and I rip their address off the envelope and stick it in my address book to add to our list.
I proudly display all of the cards we receive. I suppose in part to show off how many people like me enough to send a card, but mostly because all of the pictures create a beautiful collage of the people most important in my life. Family I don't see often enough and friends I see almost every day. Sophie and Max are getting old enough to recognize the people they see on many of the cards. Yesterday we opened one from my aunt Dawn. It was a picture of all of her grandchildren and Sophie pointed to the oldest, Amelia, and said "She's the one who gave us popsicles at the 4th of July parade."
I love to see the cards and the pictures that each family chooses. It's a little insight into who they are. And the letters! Fewer people are writing letters now-a-days, but I love to read them. Okay, I admit that I don't always read the long ones (did you really need to dedicate an entire paragraph to your new car?), but the shorter ones are a lovely snapshot of each person's year.
The other day I was talking with a friend of mine. She mentioned that now, with Facebook, sending Christmas cards isn't really necessary. How sad, I thought! I get it, sure. I can see pictures of anyone, anytime, by clicking on their Facebook albums. I see the status updates. But seeing a picture and reading a letter (long or short) isn't what Christmas cards are really about. A Christmas card says "I am thinking about you at this most wonderful time of year." I suppose even an e-Christmas cards says that. But this time of year will feel much less wonderful with an empty mailbox.
