Genealogy Jottings

Do you still send Christmas cards? I do! They go to family members and old friends who live in other cities.

My cards probably would strike the average person as a quaint reminder of days long ago. You see, I have not, and will not, ever write a generic Christmas letter meant to be a one-size-fits-all summary of the year. I hand write a unique letter to every recipient, about 40 of them. Each person has different interests, and I try to address those when I include a one-page letter in each card. Often, I include prints of interesting family photos, too.

This is how my mom and grandmother handled Christmas cards, and I see no reason to change. Shortly after Thanksgiving, they began writing their letters and signing the cards they had purchased on sale after Christmas the prior year. They wrote family news in some cards, or they chatted about topics of mutual interest. They hoped to get them all out by Christmas, doing a couple per day. They displayed the cards they received in turn, and I do that, too.

Not many people send me a hand-written Christmas letter any more. I miss that. I have saved all those I received in the past, and I cherish those thoughts and writing samples. Many of the writers are gone now, but they remain alive in the Christmas cards they sent to me. I hope I will be remembered through my cards and letters as well.

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