Have you ever wondered why you should still send Christmas cards in the mail? I guess you could say that I’m an old-fashioned die-hard romantic. Christmas without Christmas cards is sort of like Christmas without any decorations in the house. It’s sort of like Christmas without any holiday music.
Doesn’t this photo remind you of yester-year? (Yip, I’m a nostalgic sap.)
Yes, Facebook will gladly post your Christmas greetings to all of your FB friends. And Jackie Lawson, whose cards are really beautiful and creative, will gladly send out a digital card via email link to your friends. But — can you put those greetings on your mantel or on a string strung across a window? Nope.
I really like the tactile, hold it in your hand, old-fashioned card. I even like (like really enjoy) the mass produced photo cards with a printed identifying ‘signature’ but nary a touch of personalized hand written greeting. I can follow the growth of my friends’ families but do they know they sent that card to me?
You can TOUCH a postal delivered Christmas card! Digital Christmas cards briefly touch our consciousness and then ‘poof’…….they disappear into the wild blue yonder, never to be gazed upon again.
Real cards connect you with the sender in a way an electronic card doesn’t. That card in your hand was first handled by the person who sent it, the person who wrote that little note. And if it’s a handmade card…..well that person has spent that creative time to be-with-YOU. If saved, it will someday be a window into the past. Can’t you see me someday sitting in my rocking chair reflecting on the people whose cards I’m reviewing!?
Christmas cards are also GOOD for the SOUL. Don’t you give a minute’s (at least) thought of the person in your address book to whom you’re addressing a card? They’re in your address book, be it hard copy or on line, for a reason–they’re special to you, they’ve played some part in your life whether major or minor.
Even if my recipient never reciprocates, or tosses my handmade card in the trash (oh no!!!) with hardly a glance, the act of writing and sending it helped make me more human. And I’m sending that bit of human-ness in that card.
It’s also a way to keep in touch with family members and dear friends who live far away from you……people you might rarely see but with whom you want to keep in contact. I have friends and family in Europe and across the US who I sent cards to every year. I may not see them often, but we can touch fingertips at least once a year and feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
The cards you’ve seen scattered throughout this post are cards from this year’s stamping classes, Stampin’ Up!’s November convention and just fooling around with ideas. They’ve all been mailed out as of this morning. I know the feeling I get when I find a Christmas card in my mailbox and I hope my recipients feel the same. That smile and warmth in the heart is totally worth the effort. And worry not……I’m not done sending out this year’s cards yet. I have a few more to put together and share with special friends and family members. That’s why you should still send Christmas cards in the mail.
I agree!!