CHRISTMAS CARDS: I CAN’T QUIT YOU, BABY

I’ve been in love with paper mail for as long as I can remember, both sending and receiving. My adoration grew during high school when my family moved from California to Hawaii. Mail was the only option for keeping in touch with my friends on the mainland. There was no email of course, and long distance calls were expensive. (I remember postage being five cents then.)

While email serves an important purpose — keeping in touch more easily and often, sending a quick question or note, getting information fast — I will never give up snail mail for birthday, anniversary and holiday cards. Did I mention that I also have a long-standing love affair with Hallmark? And paper products in general.

Lots of my friends have stopped sending Christmas cards. Understandable, between the cost of the cards themselves and the postage. Fewer than ever send a holiday letter, reporting family news from the year before.

My granddaughter was with me when I shopped for cards last weekend. I picked up one box, then another, and she asked which one I was going to get. I told her, “both, a few more.” “How many friends do you have?!” she exclaimed.

Others have accused me of having “too many friends.” The 80+ cards I send each year doesn’t include local friends I see regularly, acquaintances, and online peeps that I count as friends but don’t know well enough to send cards to.

For many of those I send to and receive cards from, it’s our only contact each year. Mainly family members who don’t have computers, use email, or subscribe to Facebook. I can’t exclude them simply because they haven’t embraced the digital age.

Sending holiday cards takes a lot of time, between updating addresses, writing notes, and for some actual letters to bring them up to date. Even though I’m all about lacking time right now, I will get it done.

It’s important. And hence, I can’t quit.