Each year as Christmas approaches and I get ready to address the personalized Christmas cards I want to send, it brings back delightful memories of sitting together at the table with my mother, who has since deceased, as she prepared to send her cards to family and friends. Mom would reminisce about the events of the year that reminded her of special times she shared with friends and family that were meaningful and fun. After telling me all the wonderful stories and seeing me giggle, (I was about eight at the time), she would begin writing her cards in which she would include a personal message, relating to those fun times, specifically to each person she was addressing. It was a very special time for me to share in Mom’s past together with her, and I remember how pleased and delighted everyone was after reading their personalized greeting cards and called her to continue talking about those fun times.
Now, many, many years later, I find myself following in Mom’s footsteps. I, too, prepare myself for a trip down Memory Lane when getting ready to personalize my Christmas cards. Like Mom, I also get calls thanking me for the cards and it gives us a chance to chat about those wonderful times.
That’s great that you kept this going. I’m sure if you have kids they will appreciate it as much as you and continue writing personalized cards in the future.
Some traditions never die – thank God. In this day when every one communicates electronically it’s nice to know people even send Christmas cards anymore. Sending cards is a great way to stay in touch with family and friends.
Not only is that a great way to stay in touch, but it’s another way to get the family to interact for the holidays. Sending a little piece of everyone in your family to your loved ones. Thanks for the idea.
Reading this just about made me cry. My mother passed away 4 years ago. She and I always wrote out the Christmas cards together. For the last 3 years I had to do it myself and I couldn’t get through it without crying and remembering our little tradition. Simple things like this make you realize the improtant things in life.
I love to hear family traditions such as this. It’s wonderful that you are keeping the tradition going. I don’t think there is anyone who doesn’t appreciate a nice holiday card.
My mother only started sending Christmas cards out this year, and she is now 70. That’s not to say she didn’t try to send them every year as I was growing up. Each year, she would write them out, address them, and even stamp them. With the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, however, she would somehow forget to mail them and they would just sit in her car! Inevitably, she would find them the week after Christmas and curse herself out! Then the next year the process would start all over again!
I really liked visiting the homes of friends and family during the Christmas season and seeing the large selection of cards attached to the door frames of their rooms! It was fun seeing the wide variety and opening them to see who they were from.