Mailing Christmas Cards

Yes, we could drop the outgoing mail in to the slot in the lobby of our building. Since it’s such a rare occasion we prefer to walk or drive over to the post office. It’s about a block away. As a youngster I used to help my mom with her Christmas cards - sealing the letters and putting on the stamps. As an adult I always sent them to an ever changing list of contacts. But once email came along that was the end of the hard copy Christmas cards. I always keep a box of cards on hand for the usual Christmas gifts for the people we want to thank for their help over the year. Handing over money in an envelope and card is so much nicer. But there are a couple of people left who still use the old system. One of them is a colleague of my husband who sends an update about his personal life rather than the mutual colleagues we both knew. I really hate the generic letters that are written once and sent to everyone without a personal note of some kind. This year I sent a card to my mom’s best friend who was much more than a friend - especially this last year before my mom passed away in February. She doesn’t have email and is in her 80’s, so it’s just the right thing to do to remember her kindness. So this morning before our walk we drove over to the post office. It’s always busy regardless of the season. Then we kept driving over or the park to dump the glass bottles in the recycle bin by the library, then slid our way through the paths in the park that were muddy and icy thanks to the snow this week. We may get a couple more cards this year but the number dwindles. It’s kinda sad, but at least we can still stay in touch in other ways.