The simple pleasures of home shine brighter
when the spirit of God intertwines our hearts
with His gentle Joy.

Friday, December 14, 2012

Fading Christmas Tradition?

 

As a child,
our home decor during the 50's was fairly non~descript.
Just the silver aluminum Christmas Tree
with the rotating color wheel,
a plastic white Church with a silver rooftop, stained glass windows that had a wind~up music box playing Silent Night
and the porcelain Nativity set that set atop the console television.
That pretty much sums it up!


Except,
the Christmas Tradition that I truly enjoyed most. . .
the receiving of Christmas Cards !
Being the youngest of three children,
it was one of my daily chores to "fetch" the mail from our mailbox.



 
 


I loved being entrusted with the 'carrying of the mail'
from mailbox ~ across the front lawn ~ into the house
and placing it carefully on the bay window ledge
next to the telephone for Daddy and MoMa to sort through
upon their arrival each evening.


Each envelope had its own crispness
and the elaborate, beautiful penmanship
always gave me a inner thrill!


The return address were mostly the local Kansas City relatives.
What an excitement stirred within when I would read those from
Hominy, Oklahoma ~ Big Spring, Texas ~ Garden Grove, California.
Perhaps my excitement was in anticipation of my MoMa's reaction
as she opened these Christmas Cards from her cousin and sisters!


The Christmas Cards were always opened after the evening meal,
MoMa would read each Christmas Card aloud,
then she would pass the cards around the table
beginning with Daddy, my brother, my sister and finally to me.
After being passed from family member to family member,
by the time the cards had reached their final destination,
they were toasty warm from the transfer. 
I held the cards captive at my place,
studying each intricate detail, 
until MoMa insisted they go in the card basket.


With each passing Christmas,
I find that the tradition of mailing Christmas Cards is fading.
Arriving On Crooked Creek just a decade ago,
it was normal to send 75 Christmas Cards to family and friends.
First stop on my 'after Christmas $ale$' list,
was always the purchasing boxes of Christmas Cards
for the next years mailing.



My Christmas Card mailing list
has dwindled to less than 25 recipients.
Every year, I insert the annual Christmas letter inside each
Christmas Card and always end with the same phrase. . .
God Bless Us Everyone!







For me, the tradition of sending Christmas Cards will continue.
As the familiar televised
Musical Christmas programming during my childhood played,
"With every Christmas Card I write,
May your days be Merry and bright. . .
and may all your Christmases be white."





Until next time. . .

12 comments:

podso said...

You captured this all so well--the Christmas card tradition, expectation as a child and as an adult .. one of my favorite things about Christmas is hearing from old friends and catching up on the news. There is a certain thrill of seeing the familiar hand writing and the anticipation of opening the envelope and reading the news therein. FB has certainly affected that, as has email and emailed Christmas letters. Have a nice weekend.

Martha said...

Oh, I love Christmas cards and send far too many -- this year mine are homemade! But I'm still sending out LOTS! And I adore receiving them and hearing from friends far away. Love your post today and the pictures and your childhood story.

Pinky at Designs by Pinky said...

I ahve a list of peole to send to of over 100 and haven't started yet. I am so behind on this chore this year. I fear the tradition may go by the waYSIDE SOON WITH E-CARDS ETC. sAD. xo, pINKY

Jacqueline~Cabin and Cottage said...

I loved this tradition too. My mother had beautiful writing and I liked seeing the crisp stacks of cards she wrote and took to the post office. Getting them was even more of a thrill. Each so pretty and like a gift themselves. I used to send them when I was young and then it was one of the things I had to let go as Christmas got so challenging with a huge family! Haha (At the time not so funny.) Things are so different now. And you're right. It's a fading tradition. But I'm absolutely sure everyone on your list loves getting a card from you!

Unknown said...

Pat,
I love this post. I love reading about your family tradition. I have always cherished the Christmas cards I receive and actually have them stored in a box. Christmas cards not only have beautiful messages but they also provide a link with the past. A tradition that may soon become lost to the newer generations with E-Cards; not my idea of Christmas cards.
Karen

Ann@A Sentimental Life said...

I love getting cards, I have already received many...now I need to get mine out. But I do see the day it will be something from past times, oh how I hate that.

Ivy and Elephants said...

I'm guilty, too. It seems we all love to get the cards, but I'm running behind in getting them out!
I'm going to try to keep the tradition going. Your vintage cards are gorgeous!
Hugs,
Patti

bj said...

Christmas cards were our main decoration when I was a child...then, when I fist married, we had a big Christmas card list and sent them out every year...and received so many pretty ones. I have always put our cards in a pretty basket on our coffee table.
THEN, along came INFLATION...cards went up, postage REALLY went up and our card list had to be cut...and the amount of cards we received were cut, too.
I still send a few out...very few...but to loved ones I don't get to see often.
Like everything else, money (or lack of) plays a large part of the art of Christmas cards dying out.

Katherines Corner said...

lovely cards. We get fewer and fewer every year. But I continue to send them out. You received some lovely ones. xo

NanaDiana said...

I just found you from Across The Way and I am your newest follower. I am one of those people that still sends Christmas cards. I do send about 75 still. It is sometimes the only contact I have with people all year- Blessings-Diana oh...and i came to see your porch so that is what I am off to see.

Shabby Brocante, Karen said...

I think you are absolutely right, it's fading. I also agree that it was such a nice tradition that I too remember as a little girl. I am disappointed now as an adult that I am not receiving many at all. Soon we will never see anyone's handwriting!
Karen

Sandi~A Cottage Muse said...

I feel this is a fading tradition too but fondly remember being excited getting them in the mail as a child too!