By Peggy Sue McRae, Journal contributor
Keeping in Touch with Holiday Cards
In an age when the internet has made written correspondence nearly a thing of the past, we may still enjoy sending and receiving holiday cards. As we get older many of us may be traveling less. Sending and receiving holiday greetings is one way to retain bonds with family and friends no longer in our immediate circle.
During my mom’s last years, I commandeered her Christmas card list. This took weeding through her address books and figuring out who might have moved or who may have passed away. Initially I sent a “Christmas letter” informing her addressees of her new address and circumstances. She was then living at the Village. I was glad that I’d made the effort because every card that she received in response brought her so much pleasure. We decorated her room with a big bright red amaryllis and a garland of Christmas cards.
These days as I continue my attempt to rein in my holiday spending, my gift to many of my loved ones will be a pretty, festive card with a heartfelt note letting them know that I am thinking of them. I usually clip the incoming cards to a ribbon as a part of my holiday decor. I have also decided in the last few years that it is not cheating to put up a few favorite cards from past years.
I purchased my cards this year but over the years I have made my own using pen and ink drawings, humorous photos or when I worked at The Whale Museum whale themed cards. Probably my favorite homemade card, though, was a simple apple print. If you cut an apple in half across the middle it will reveal a star shape. Dipping that apple in paint and using it like a “potato print” by pressing it onto a blank card will give you an elegant five-pointed star design. As for the humorous photos, now in the age of social media, I can reuse these on my Facebook page!
At the Mullis Center members of YAAS, a group of young adults with disabilities can be found making holiday cards. What began as a social club, in its five years of existence, has branched out to include activism for people with disabilities, education and community service. They generate liveliness and joy by making holiday cards (and Valentines in February) to go out with Meals on Wheels for people who may be homebound. Thank you, YAAS!
What to do with your old holiday cards? We hate to throw them out. My sister Betty is using the front of old Christmas cards to make this year’s gift tags. Old cards can be turned into new cards by collaging them onto colored or patterned paper. They can be made into bookmarks, ornaments and even paper wreaths. If you’ve got more than a shoebox full, though, they also might make good fire starters. For the sake of clearing clutter, it’s OK to throw them away.
I’ve lost a few people off my Christmas card list this year making it all the more important to me to touch base with those who are still among us. Of course it doesn’t have to be a Christmas card. For some it will be a solstice greeting, a wish for a Happy Hanukkah or simply an end-of-the-year message. We’ve made the big circle around the sun one more time and that is something worth celebrating.
