Traditional Holiday Cards
Have you ever considered the countless traditions that have been lost to obscurity? Take holiday cards, for example (more on that in a bit). A great many things have changed in our culture since I was a child. Some things have been changed by technology, other customs have changed because of population pressures, and some have changed simply because more people have become self-absorbed.
My friends chide me because I cherish certain traditions. The fact of the matter is; I don't care what others think. There are some practices that I feel are important to keep--dressing your best for entertaining company, removing hats at the dinner table, saying please and thank you, and celebrating Christmas without being politically correct.
I have fond memories of the Christmas holiday. My mother always made it an extraordinary time. To me, Christmas is all about friends and family. I love to share my thoughts with holiday cards. I really feel for those folks that work for a government agency. Everything about the holidays has to appear secular. Any decorations that are displayed cannot be of religious significance. Holiday cards sent out must say "season's greetings" and depict a winter theme as opposed to a religious theme. They have to make sure they don't offend anyone by their holiday greetings. This is not only ridiculous, it's oppressive. I can't imagine how anyone could be offended by hearing the words Merry Christmas.
I have made a commitment to send traditional Christmas cards to my friends and family. This is one of those traditions that other folks have forsaken. We used to get a large variety and number of holiday cards. It was the one time of year that friends and relatives made an effort to contact each other. Now it seems like we get fewer cards each and every year. We get a few emails and some cheesy e-cards, but it's just not the same.
I always enjoy filling out the holiday cards. I sit at my computer desk and write a few poignant lines in each card. I address the envelopes by hand and buy Christmas stamps with which to mail them. Many of the recipients of my Christmas cards thank me for them and make some lame excuse that they just don't have time to send out cards any more. In my humble opinion, this is the one time of year that we should use our time to remember the people that are important to us and to let them know this with holiday cards.