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The plight of the Christmas card

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Posted By: DW626, 12/22/2023 1:39:27 PM

The horde of cards was as commonplace as ornaments and lights on the Christmas tree. They would arrive daily (except on Sunday) at a half-dozen a clip. Initially, it started as a trickle but once the calendar sank deeper into December, the numbers grew. Many were from people I did not know. By the time Christmas arrived, the avalanche of cards became part of our family’s Christmas décor — all in service to induce a sensation of good cheer throughout the Maresca abode. My mother would string the cards using yarn through the living room, and they would decorate every doorway.

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Reply 1 - Posted by: jalo1951 12/22/2023 1:59:18 PM (No. 1622371)
When I was growing up in South Bend I can remember the mailman stopping by twice a day loaded down with Christmas cards. My mom would not open them but save them for us kids to open after dinner. Yes, we ate dinner together at a table. To little kids mail was special. It is a pleasant memory. Today people just post a cute picture or something funny and snarky telling all their friends and family Merry Christmas. No addresses to remember, or cards to buy or postage to purchase. Tech has taken over many old customs and as we have the ability to reach so many at one time it has actually taken some of the intimacies out of those relationships. I understand the saving of time and money but miss some of these niceties all the same. My husband is the keeper of the Christmas cards. I asked him recently how many had we received. He said three. Merry Christmas!
21 people like this.

Reply 2 - Posted by: dbdiva 12/22/2023 2:37:15 PM (No. 1622385)
I used to send several dozen Christmas cards to both personal and business friends. This year I sent 12 mostly to my old college friends and friends I rarely see any longer since they've moved too far out of state to visit regularly. I counted the number of cards I've received so far and there's 12, two from businesses. But I agree with #1 --- it's so sad seeing Christmas traditions fall by the wayside. While there is a lot to appreciate about technology, it makes some things very impersonal and much less special.
16 people like this.

Reply 3 - Posted by: thewarden 12/22/2023 3:35:57 PM (No. 1622410)
Agree—it was fun to get the cards. We would fight over which kid got to staple them onto red or green ribbon hanging from a piece of trim my Dad put up in the living room wall. The best part was reading the truly embarrassing brag letter my mom’s cousin Ray would send every year detailing their perfect son’s accomplishments and their travel escapades. I used to read it out loud laden with sarcasm and snark. Even my saintly mom would laugh. I send out about 15 now, only received 5 . It’s a dying tradition. Sad.
11 people like this.

Reply 4 - Posted by: Mr Clean 12/22/2023 3:42:34 PM (No. 1622414)
My wife must have bought and stashed 1000 cards or more during after Christmas sales. That was right before she stopped sending them.
9 people like this.

Reply 5 - Posted by: Timber Queen 12/22/2023 4:18:58 PM (No. 1622433)
I guess I'm the dinosaur. I send out about 40 religious cards to family and old and current friends. TK does a humorous letter of our forest adventures. Due to factors out of my control I'm late sending this year. I've sent them out in batches this week. The last five go out today. So far I've received 15. I never get back what I send, but that doesn't matter to me. So many are elderly friends and relatives. I'm a historian, not only by training and study, but also I believe by vocation from God. I need to keep up the old ways and reach out to the younger members of the family, even if they shake their heads at the old Auntie's card that comes every Christmas.
18 people like this.

Reply 6 - Posted by: ladydawgfan 12/22/2023 4:29:13 PM (No. 1622443)
My mom used to be the keeper of the cards, sending them out to family and friends each year. Since she passed, my father took it over and it will fall to me in time. It's not a bother and is a way to let our family and friends know that we are thinking of them. We never get back as many as we send, but that isn't the point of sending them anyway. It isn't a contest, it's Christmas. As to cards in past years, we used to get a card every year from some people we absolutely didn't know. Their names and address were not familiar in the least. So we reciprocated with a card of our own. We used to laugh at the mutually shared joke. Although we wouldn't know each other if we met at the grocery store, they were an integral part of our Christmas traditions. Sadly, that too has fallen by the wayside. "Like sands through the hourglass . . . "
9 people like this.

Reply 7 - Posted by: LC Chihuahua 12/22/2023 4:58:06 PM (No. 1622456)
I comment to a few people and say I sent out Christmas cards and they say I should follow them on Fakebook. That includes family. I refuse to be on Fakebook. Is it wrong to keep track of how many cards you send and how many you receive? I remember taping Christmas cards we received to the walls while growing up. That was fun. Also remember giving Christmas cards to all of my newspaper customers. I had nearly 200. Christmas time was exciting. And profitable :-) A teenage kid getting hundreds of dollars at Christmas.
8 people like this.

Reply 8 - Posted by: DVC 12/22/2023 6:29:00 PM (No. 1622490)
We sent out about 50 this year, pretty much our usual now, but down from perhaps 75 years ago, largely because a lot of relatives have died.
8 people like this.

Reply 9 - Posted by: chance_232 12/22/2023 10:19:22 PM (No. 1622592)
Inflation has hit the christmas cards too. I was floored when the christmas card that I was purchasing rang up over 8$, and then toss in 0.66$ in postage. I used to send out dozens, now its a handful.
3 people like this.

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