Holiday Cards

As December (and Holidailies) began, I wrote about the tradition of sending snail mail cards during the season.

It's time to sum up the season. I'm sure I'll receive and send a few more. But here are the stats to date: I've gotten 45 cards in the mail, I think, that weren't from charities or businesses. I've sent just a few more than that. We put them all on the small cubby hole desk in the dining room or on the screen that hides (well sort of) our step stool, ladder, and vacuum when they aren't sitting somewhere else in the apartment.

We got every variety, pretty much. Pictures of the family and pets. Wreaths, trees, snow, penquins and all that. I checked my database for each address, made note of receiving the card and, usually, sent one in return. I saved the stamps off a lot of them. Just to make the pictures below, really. The post office seemed intent on obliterating most of them with a large, messy 'Seasons Greetings' stamp.

I have noticed, this year, scores of 'cards' that were actually emails or Facebook posts. I like these, but they are fleeting and they don't usually have the added benefit of confirming the address in the real world nor getting a little personal, hand-written note.

I miss when we did more communication like this although when I sent hundreds I had to automate and print labels and stamp or pre-print return addresses. I will stick all these cards in a box with my leftovers of the ones I sent and, next year, I'll toss them, maybe saving one or two really great ones. They made me happy whenever I glanced at them in the apartment. There was a time when we had more ephemera and it was fun to save it: letters, cards, ticket stubs, playbills, pamphlets, etc. In storage I have a ton of it but lately less and less gets created and less and less gets saved. I'm both glad about this and sad, too. Meanwhile, I'll be looking through the boring mail for the next couple of weeks hoping for cards and maybe replying with one of my own.