Christmas Cards – Are They Still a Thing?

Gary’s December Gems

I love Christmas even more than Halloween. The “BOO! BOO! BOO!” of ghosts becomes the “HO! HO! HO!” of Santa. Our hearts grow three sizes bigger this time of year.  As Auntie Mame sings, “We need a little Christmas right this very minute”.

The humbugs can roll their eyes, and the cynics can sneer, but even the Grinch, in the end, gave Christmas a cheer!  From the time I send Christmas cards to the time I pack the tree, Christmas is a magical time for me. (See what I did there? I didn’t even mean to write a rhyme. The Christmas Spirit made me do it.) 

Sending Christmas cards is at the top of my Christmas traditions list. Yes, Virginia, Christmas cards are real. And sadly, yes, many people have stopped sending them. But I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like getting them. 

In last year’s December Gems, ” Reindeer on Rooftops and Turkeys in Kitchens.”, I shared my story about my dual-culture family’s Christmas dinner; Ragoût de pattes & Toutière on the French side and Roast Beef and Yorkshire Pudding on the English. Christmas cards were part of that tradition; they hung on the doorframes and decorated our tree before trees were highly pruned to be as thick as possible. We would cover the “empty” spots with cards, and I would adjust the lights to make them glow.

We can connect through video chatting, texting, and social media, but these are a facsimile of true physical connections. A hand-written Christmas card is the most personal connection after a handshake.

Queen Victoria sent the first official Christmas card, and Sir Henry Cole, an assistant to Sir Rowland Hill in the introduction of the penny post, commissioned the first commercial Christmas card in 1843. The initial print run was for 1,000 cards. Of course, they were very expensive. Usually, only the upper gentry and merchants could afford them. They would purchase them as a way of staying in touch with friends and family across the Atlantic. Then once they became mass-produced to printing innovations, their use became ubiquitous and international.

I recently read that Millennials are now more interested in sending Christmas cards. When your whole life seems to exist on a digital plane, the thought of someone sending you a hand-written card must be refreshingly different.

My modern period of Christmas card giving began with a serendipitous visit to the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) gift shop while in New York one Christmas.

I love museum gift shops. I find them as fascinating as the exhibits themselves. While there, I saw these incredible pop-up Christmas cards, each one an original delight.  As a kid, I remember pop-ups very well and enjoyed the surprise of opening them to reveal something magical.

Many years later, they still enthral the friends I send them and myself. MOMA cards are true gifts. Many of these friends tell me they keep them from year to year and set them up each Christmas as part of their holiday decorations.

My Christmas Card Tradition 

• I don’t just write your name on a card. It’s a once-a-year tradition; I suggest a few personalized words of greetings and best wishes.  Oh, and unless I just discovered them as a new family member on Ancestry.com, I think a journal of everything that has happened in the past year is TMI. Better to invite them to a ZOOM call instead.

• The reason Christmas cards became so popular was it was an easy way to keep in touch with friends and relatives we rarely see years before social media. Since we now have countless ways to keep in touch, I view sending cards as more like sending small gifts of appreciation for being a part of my life. I send them to friends and family regardless of their proximity.

• E-Cards don’t count – except, perhaps, for the very tenuous of acquaintances.

• A comment I often hear is that people don’t send cards anymore they don’t receive any in return.  I send Christmas cards for the joy of giving. I don’t expect reciprocity. That’s a transaction, not a gift. I love the whole Christmas Card giving process. And I love the memories each card evokes as I prepare them and walk to the mailbox.

We have many ways to ignite our Christmas spirit. It might be going to a performance of “The Nutcracker” or watching “A Charlie Brown Christmas”, or bringing up the decorations from the basement locker. Mine is writing cards and licking stamps while listening to Christmas music.

Superstores, radio and TV, seem to do all they can to wring the last drop of holiday profits from us by fabricating Christmas Spirit. I ignore the cacophony and artifice of commercial Christmas and stubbornly keep Christmas in my own way.

My Dear Gem readers.

Beginning in 2023, your monthly gems will go from being delivered monthly to seasonally.

As time progresses, it also seems to shorten.

These Gems are the highlight of my month. However, I have less and less time to create them.

So, beginning in March of next year, I will send you my Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter Gems on Monday, March 20, Wednesday, June 21, Saturday, September 23, and Thursday, December 21.

You know what they say about gems? They’re precious because they’re rare.

[click_to_tweet tweet=”“Always give without remembering and always receive without forgetting.” – Brian Tracy” quote=”“Always give without remembering and always receive without forgetting.” – Brian Tracy” theme=”style2″]

[click_to_tweet tweet=”“When we give cheerfully and accept gratefully, everyone is blessed.” – Maya Angelou” quote=”“When we give cheerfully and accept gratefully, everyone is blessed.” – Maya Angelou” theme=”style2″]

[click_to_tweet tweet=”“Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love.” – Lao Tzu” quote=”“Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love.” – Lao Tzu” theme=”style2″]

[click_to_tweet tweet=”‘You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving. ~ Amy Carmichael” quote=”‘You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving. ~ Amy Carmichael” theme=”style2″]

[click_to_tweet tweet=”‘The most truly generous persons are those who give silently without hope of praise or reward.’ ~ Carol Ryrie Brink” quote=”‘The most truly generous persons are those who give silently without hope of praise or reward.’ ~ Carol Ryrie Brink” theme=”style2″]

[click_to_tweet tweet=”‘One of the most important things you can do on this earth is to let people know they are not alone.’ ~ Shannon L. Adler” quote=”‘One of the most important things you can do on this earth is to let people know they are not alone.’ ~ Shannon L. Adler” theme=”style2″]

[click_to_tweet tweet=”“What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store. What if Christmas… perhaps… means a little bit more!” ~Dr. Seuss, How the Grinch Stole Christmas!” quote=”“What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store. What if Christmas… perhaps… means a little bit more!” ~Dr. Seuss, How the Grinch Stole Christmas!” theme=”style2″]

[click_to_tweet tweet=”“What is Christmas? It is tenderness for the past, courage for the present, hope for the future.” ~Agnes M. Pahro” quote=”“What is Christmas? It is tenderness for the past, courage for the present, hope for the future.” ~Agnes M. Pahro” theme=”style2″]

[click_to_tweet tweet=”“Christmas is a tonic for our souls. It moves us to think of others rather than of ourselves. It directs our thoughts to giving.” ~B.C. Forbes” quote=”“Christmas is a tonic for our souls. It moves us to think of others rather than of ourselves. It directs our thoughts to giving.” ~B.C. Forbes” theme=”style2″]

[click_to_tweet tweet=”‘Freshly cut Christmas trees smelling of stars and snow and pine resin—inhale deeply and fill your soul with wintry night.” ~ John J. Geddes” quote=”‘Freshly cut Christmas trees smelling of stars and snow and pine resin—inhale deeply and fill your soul with wintry night.” ~ John J. Geddes” theme=”style2″]

[click_to_tweet tweet=”“Christmas is a time when you get homesick — even when you’re home.” ~ Carol Nelson” quote=”“Christmas is a time when you get homesick — even when you’re home.” ~ Carol Nelson” theme=”style2″]

[click_to_tweet tweet=”‘Christmas is most truly Christmas when we celebrate it by giving the light of love to those who need it most.’ ~ Ruth Carter Stapleton” quote=”‘Christmas is most truly Christmas when we celebrate it by giving the light of love to those who need it most.’ ~ Ruth Carter Stapleton” theme=”style2″]

[click_to_tweet tweet=”I’m thankful for weird people out there ‘cause they’re some of the most creative people. – Channing Tatum ” quote=”I’m thankful for weird people out there ‘cause they’re some of the most creative people. – Channing Tatum ” theme=”style2″]

[click_to_tweet tweet=”“I never thought it was such a bad little tree. It’s not bad at all really. Maybe it just needs a little love.”~ ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas'” quote=”“I never thought it was such a bad little tree. It’s not bad at all really. Maybe it just needs a little love.”~ ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas'” theme=”style2″]

And here are some HO! HO! HO! Gems.

[click_to_tweet tweet=”“Christmas is a baby shower that went totally overboard.” ~ Andy Borowitz” quote=”“Christmas is a baby shower that went totally overboard.” ~ Andy Borowitz” theme=”style2″]

[click_to_tweet tweet=”“Santa Claus has the right idea. Visit people only once a year.” ~ Victor Borge” quote=”“Santa Claus has the right idea. Visit people only once a year.” ~ Victor Borge” theme=”style2″]

[click_to_tweet tweet=”“Three phrases that sum up Christmas are: Peace on Earth, Goodwill to Men, and Batteries not Included.” ~ Anon” quote=”“Three phrases that sum up Christmas are: Peace on Earth, Goodwill to Men, and Batteries not Included.” ~ Anon” theme=”style2″]

[click_to_tweet tweet=”Adults can take a simple holiday for Children & screw it up. What began as presenting simple gifts to delight & surprise kids around the Christmas tree has culminated in a woman unwrapping six shrimp forks from her dog, who drew her name.” ~ Erma Bombeck” quote=”Adults can take a simple holiday for Children & screw it up. What began as presenting simple gifts to delight & surprise kids around the Christmas tree has culminated in a woman unwrapping six shrimp forks from her dog, who drew her name.” ~ Erma Bombeck” theme=”style2″]