The holiday season has come and gone and yet I’m still getting texts from friends saying thank you for the holiday card. What is it about mail that gets us so excited?! Holiday card traditions came into play in the early 19th century and have since been regarded as a social obligation, but do they have to be? They used to be the one time a year that long-distance relatives can see pictures of their cute grandchildren and get an update on their lives. But in the age of social media and constant updates with print prices high and mail times delayed- what is even the point?
We chose to keep up the tradition of holiday cards because well; we love paper. I still send thank you notes, handwritten letters and yes – cards. Plus, it’s exciting! I was 12 when I got my first piece of mail and I was ecstatic – until I realized it was a bill – what? I’m 12 bro. Since then, I’ve learned it’s still mostly bills, but the occasional personalized social note is so refreshing.
In a time when everything is about immediate satisfaction and quick turnarounds, it’s nice to slow things down, hold an actual card, take a cute family photo and write a message to stay in touch with people from important moments in your life.
BUT WHO TO SEND IT TO? HOW DO YOU HAVE TIME?
Within our first year of marriage we sent out holiday cards to every family on our wedding guest list. Since then, we spend about 15 minutes updating addresses and adding a few new friends to the list. It’s easy when you use the same company because your data is already saved. This year it took my a total of 25 minutes from start to finish on the Shutterfly website. We opted for the pre-addressed envelopes and Sahir and I put on an episode of Friends and stuffed the envelopes one Tuesday evening – done & done.
I hope you consider keeping a holiday tradition, whether it’s a card or not – print or digital. Having something special this time of year helps contribute to the season and spread a little bit of holiday cheer, and who couldn’t use more cheer?
