Holiday Cards 2025-2026

 

Today I took down the cards we'd pinned to this screen just inside our apartment. We received 59 holiday cards from people and sent 106. There was glitter. There were pictures of Santa, reindeer, deer, raccoons, foxes, squirrels, owls, cats, snowmen, sleds, Christmas trees, birds, and flowers. Also, a pineapple and a martini. They wished us Seasons Greetings, Joy, Peace, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays. There were many photos of people, dogs, and cats. A few recounted many of life's ups and downs in a letter or on a card. 

The database where I keep the addresses has 798 entries. I don't remember some of the people. I've lost track of an address for others. Some are no longer with us, but a few years ago, I stopped deleting those rows to keep a running history. Some entries have a note like "he died," or "she died," or "they split." With multiple people in households,  this list probably touches 1000 or more people. And many people in our current and past lives aren't on the list. The cards are a kind of reckoning with one's connections, though. And it's both uplifting and a little sad.