This has been a fun couple of mail weeks. I have received nice greeting cards in the mail from friends and readers. I love it. The surprise of fun mail that gives uplifting greetings keeps me smiling for days after I read it.

I must tell you, I love buying cards to send to people, but over the years they have languished in a box under my bed. A couple of weeks ago I took the bright-colored box out and set it by the chair I use to read and watch television. It makes it easier to pick up a card and address it when the reminder is sitting right beside me, and I see it each time I pick up my cup of coffee to have a sip.

This is the time of year we wear ourselves out getting all the details in place for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Among those details are Christmas cards and Christmas letters. Some people opt for e-cards and those are fun, but there is something about a card in the mail you can hold in your hand and place on the shelf where you can see it for days. That feeling can’t be replaced by an e-card.

We spend our energy getting Christmas cards out and updating our friends and family on everything we have been doing throughout the year. Except for our online connection, we are silent the rest of the year.

I am going to tell you a secret, but don’t tell my kids or I will get in trouble. I keep the cards that I receive. I put them in a special place and when I am down I take them out and read them. If the cards are from years ago they bring back memories of days gone by and people who are no longer alive or perhaps part of my daily life because of a move.

I must admit, I didn’t always understand this. When my mom was in the nursing home and I had to sell her house to cover her expenses, I had to go through her things. There were boxes and boxes and boxes of cards. She did keep every card, not just the ones with writing inside but those that were generic cards with only a name on them. I lamented about this until I found a treasure trove — cards from my father documented their courtship, and cards and letters from my uncles in California documented the close family ties no matter the distance. There were Valentine cards from when she was young and when she was a teacher at country schools. Reading the letters and the cards I understood her life and the changes in her life better. I got to know a part of her life that I hadn’t been a part of.

I didn’t keep all of the cards, but I kept the cards that we had received when my father died. I was 20 years old and just beginning to know him as an adult. Reading what people write gave an insight as to how much he was loved by friends, family and people in the community who were his customers in the shoe store. I kept the Valentine cards and the cards with letters from out West. I also kept the cards I made for my mother which she kept all those years.

I promised my kids I would not leave them with so much to get rid of, but I may have lied about the cards. I have all the cards my children and grandchildren have made for me. I have the cards my friends have given me in good times and bad. I have the cards that 45 years of marriage have accumulated. They don’t take up a lot of room but they are reminders when life throws you a curve others have been there through the years and will be again.

Christmas will be here in a  month or so. The Christmas cards start coming around Thanksgiving. I love getting the cards. Last year I didn’t send out all my Christmas cards. I got some out and then I took the time through the year to try and hit everyone on my list with an individual card that hadn’t gotten a card at Christmas. Since organization isn’t my strong suit, I might have missed someone, but I hope they didn’t take it personally. In all reality, probably no one noticed if they didn’t get a card or letter from me.

I’m not sure what I am going to do this year. I love getting cards and I do like sending them but not when they are a stressful item to cross off my list at this time of year.

For those of you who sent me cards, you made me smile and made my day better. My goal this next year is to empty my box of cards that I bought to send over the years. I might surprise you. You might be the lucky person that gets a surprise card in the mail. If you want to make someone smile, send them a real card as a surprise. It might be exactly what they needed to get through their day.

 

Wells resident Julie Seedorf’s column appears every Monday. Send email to her at hermionyvidaliabooks@gmail.com. Her Facebook page is http://www.facebook.com/julie.