Not long ago we would receive about 20 cards from family and friends at this festive season. Then the numbers started to drop. The trips to our mailbox became increasingly anxious, fearing that this would be another day without a card, as the 25th of December got closer and closer.
I myself delight in sitting down to address envelopes to folks who matter to us in states all over the country as well as close to home. A short message, a stamp, and off it goes to remind these friends that we remember them and are grateful for them.
Many people now seem to think that posting a Merry Christmas message on their Facebook page is as good as handwriting their best wishes to people they know. Maybe they'll just send out a text with a photo. Or they feel it's okay to simply tell people, "Yeah, I didn't do cards this year; nobody really does anymore. And have you seen the price of stamps?"
Yes, I paid 78 cents for each stamp I stuck on an envelope, and that's too much. But once a year it's worth it. I cannot tape your text message to my wall, nor your Instagram post. Taking the time to send cards says "You matter to me." And each time I pass by the collection of pretty Christmas scenes on my wall it reminds me that some people out there are thinking of me and want good things for me in the new year.
Loneliness in our country is at an all-time high. Somehow, although we can "communicate" with one another faster and more cheaply than ever, we feel disconnected and alone. This is why we need Christmas cards. They pay tribute to the greatest event on the calendar, that birth in Bethlehem from which date we count the very years. And these pretty cards remind folks that we have not forgotten them; that they are important enough for us to buy a box of cards and a sheet of stamps; even important enough for us to skip a couple of nights of TV to write a few words that will remind them of that.
Merry Christmas to you all, and best wishes for the New Year.
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