A Lost Art

How many Christmas cards did you get last year? Not too many, huh? Yeah…me either. Maybe it’s because I lived on the road for a couple of years. Maybe it’s because Mr. Virgo died. Maybe it’s because the “old guard”…the older generations…are passing on. Maybe it’s because I stopped sending them. Whatever the reason, the giving and receiving of Christmas Cards seems to have fallen to the wayside with the likes of the “Thank You Note” and the “Handwritten Letter”.

I remember it being such an honor for Mom to let me open a Christmas Card when it arrived. I slowly opened each envelope, being careful not to rip the return address. We ooohed and ahhhed over the picture on the cover marveling over the glitter or the crystals of “snow”. We read every word. We pored over the newsy letter that was enclosed in the cards of those who lived far away. These weren’t “brag letters”. These were informative bringing us up to date with the news of the year because phone calls were expensive and this may be the only way to catch up.

My mom knew a man named Mr. Pancake. Really…that was his last name. One year, he had Christmas Cards made. They were cutouts of a pancake with a smiley face on it. Inside, it said “Merry Christmas from the Pancake House.” We kept that card forever. I think it was still in Mom’s treasures when she died. I don’t know if I kept it or not. That was my most memorable card.

I love the photo cards that you can look back on and see how children have grown and the older folks have aged. I even love the “brag letters”. Getting a piece of mail that isn’t a bill or an advertisement is such a joy that I don’t care what’s in it or on it. I just appreciate the thought.

I was shopping the other day and came across the Christmas Card display. I browsed through them, smiling over Santas and Snowmen and Reindeer. My heart warmed at the Nativities and The Wisemen and Angels. My fingers and hands were sparkling with glitter when I chose a small box and took it to the register. When Mr. Fixit got home from Florida, I showed him my prize. He smiled and took my hand and gave it a squeeze. “I’ll get my address book.” he said. I smiled back and said, “I’ll get mine.”

Next, we’ll make one that is “ours”. ❤️

“You yourselves are our letter of recommendation, written on our hearts, to be known and read by all. And you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.” ‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭3:2-3‬ ‭ESV‬‬