Holiday Cards

 I think it's safe to say that this holiday season is going to be different than any other we have experienced.  It's going to be different that what we might have ever imagined.  I wonder if anyone had or could have imagined the year that we have almost gone through.

Even as we adapt this holiday season, there are some traditions that I am clinging to and with (I think) good reason.  This year more than ever we need hope. (Which just happens to be what the first Sunday in Advent is all about...I didn't do an Advent post this past Sunday so I had to work it in somehow!)  My method of spreading hope (and holiday cheer)?  Christmas Cards! 

As long as I can remember (at least for my adult life), I've been sending out cards.  (https://bfthsboringblog.blogspot.com/2019/12/christmas-cards.html).  Back in the day (this would be last century), for some special friends the card also included a holiday mixed tape.  This, once I was married, evolved into a mixed cd.  With the digital era this went away, but I'm still sending out cards.

In a social media world, why am I sending out physical cards?  While social media and on line connections have kept us sane in our pandemic world, I wanted to "gift" my friends something tangible.  This year my cards are an extension of myself.  I cannot be there to give you a hug, but I CAN send you a handwritten personal message.  I can send my love and hope to you.  I can attempt to make your day a little brighter during this dark time.

This year the cards themselves are nothing elaborate.  Many of them I purchased from the thrift shop where I volunteer.  (So I'm being good to the environment too...bonus points for me!)  For those who are far away or who do not (regularly) use social media (gasp!), I also included a family photo.  There is no Santa photo this year (https://bfthsboringblog.blogspot.com/2016/12/the-post-i-couldnt-write.html) or even a real attempt to get a fun holiday shot.  (Below is last year's goofy attempt)

What I did do was get a family shot from Thanksgiving. (Thanks to my son's photography class and skills came out great.  He lined up the shot, set the timer and boom!  Three at Thanksgiving!)  I threw in some other photos taken at the end of 2019 and made a collage to share.

More important though is that for each and every card I sent, I included a handwritten note.  (And yes, my handwriting stinks.)  No card was the same; each note was a little different.  (Including mistakes!)  It took some time, but I thought about each and every person as I penned a sentence or two.

I hand addressed them, stamped them and mailed almost all of them out yesterday.  (I still have a few local in the office.  Many of these will be hand delivered. )  Whenever they get to their destination, I hope the receiver knows that I am thinking of them.  That each person is important to me and I am grateful to have them in my life.

As the year (thankfully) wraps up, maybe my messages of hope and friendship will brighten someone's day.  Know that if you send me a card, it WILL brighten mine.