The Art of Holiday Cards

As another holiday approaches, I'm preparing for the e-card greetings I'll get this year. No doubt, I'll do a holiday e-mailing myself, particularly useful to reach friends in Australia, Asia, Africa and the rest of the continent, where it can be $1.50 or more a pop to send a 'real card.'

E-cards, while often creative, fun and can include personalized messages, just don't feel like real cards or greetings to me. I love hearing about friends' "news," but I don't need an e-card for that. While adding music helps, something feels empty and missing from an e-card.

Sending holiday cards was always a tradition growing up. I'd write to numerous penpals from around the world (250+ and growing at the time), at the kitchen table while my grandmother inked her own cards. We would select our cards together, play silly holiday tunes and talk about the people in our lives as we approached their address. We'd recall a moment.....a fun or sad memory that reminded us why they were in our lives.

The art of the card is more about the process than the card itself. We would receive oodles of cards ourselves and sometimes, we'd tape them around the doors, and other years, they might end up in a large sleigh. I remember sitting on the couch in front of our tree one year sifting through the pile of cards and as I got to each name, I'd smile and think of them -- really think of them -- even if it was only for a moment.

Email and e-cards don't have that affect on me -- receiving them or sending them. Last year, I was still moving about, so didn't have the time to put pen to paper. This year, I have even less time, yet decided to make the effort regardless. I find that it becomes harder and harder (year after year), to keep the tradition alive. This one and others. What traditions are worth keeping alive and which ones are worth phasing out for you? For our culture? Our sub-cultural communities?