I was thinking of skipping the annual ritual of sending out traditional holiday cards.
It seemed unnecessary to keep in touch with holiday cards, when I’m already connecting with friends and family through blogs, Facebook, and other social media.
Opting out of sending cards would save me a lot of time during the hectic pre-holiday prep time. It’s been a few years since I hand-crafted the cards, but even the simplest cards have to signed, addressed, and posted.
This year, I thought, why not avoid this work, to quickly Email digital greeting cards? I would’ve gone the digital route, until one of my online friends asked,
Does digital say “I love you” like a card?
At first I thought, sure, why not? I love receiving E-cards.
On the other hand, I don’t treasure them like the cards I receive by mail. I tuck many of these within my journal or in my memory box.
The holiday cards; however, I keep all together in a special box with the holiday decorations. Every year, I pull these out to remember friends and family, most of whom live so far away. I get a kick out of seeing how the kids have grown on successive Christmas card photos. The holiday cards are sometimes the only way that I keep in touch with distant friends.
Not everyone treasures holiday cards the way I do, but some do. One old friend even has several of our holiday cards, with my children’s photos, on his refrigerator, year-round. Well, why not? The kids are pretty cute!
I decided that, despite the convenience and ease of digital greeting cards, I’m sending out the old-fashioned kind, through snail mail. I know that my friends and family will appreciate the love.
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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Sandra,
Bravo!
Nothing says “I love you” like a hand-written anything, hand-addressed and mailed through the mail. When someone takes the time and effort to hand write a card or letter, put it in an envelope and mail it, they care about you.
In our electronic world of instant gratification, the same feeling just doesn’t arrive with email the way it does with a letter or card in the mail. You can add things to the physical card or letter, like your perfume or cologne, confetti, stickers, stamps, etc.
The thing I cherish more as I get older is to receive anything hand written in the mail. For me to get it, someone had to love me enough to give that item their most precious gift, their time.
Sherri
Sherri,
Exactly! Also, I like your idea for additions. Stickers would be a great way for the young ones to help personalize cards.
Sandra
I feel the exact same way. I love getting real cards in the mail, and I, too, will save them for a “down” sort of day, to pull out and cherish. Getting a card by snail mail means that the sender has put more thought into the action. They have personalized the card for me, which makes me feel way more special!
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