I don't get as many Christmas cards as I used to. I notice fewer people send them. Technology is one reason. People can send messages through email or Instagram or Messenger or Facebook or Twitter. Postage and cards are expensive.
Often the ones I receive are family photos and I enjoy them. It's a snapshot of a year of their lives.
I still make and send my own Christmas cards. Sure, I am an artist so I enjoy doing so. This Red Fox is a christmasized version of an illustration from my latest children's book, Montana Cats, A Tale of Winter. Sending art in the mail is a little gift I enjoy giving.
I also send postcards that are my original watercolor or collage art, during the February Peace Poetry Postcard Project; which, by the way, I just signed up for again for 2025.
I remember my mom stringing up Christmas cards on ribbons or fitting them into a special Christmas Tree wire holder, made for that purpose. She must have received a hundred cards. They were so beautiful; some with glitter and others with shiny photographic paper. Some were religious scenes, some were of snowy places, some with nature scenes, some with cute animals, many with Santa Claus. The variety was part of the fun. I loved looking at them.
I even sold Christmas cards when I was fourteen. I had a book of samples I took around to neighbors and took their orders for, often, preprinted cards which saved busy people time. I loved sending in the orders and seeing the beautiful boxes of cards arrive and delivering them. I wanted to buy them all, so I at least got to order many beautiful cards.
Over the years, my own Christmas list grew and then dwindled. People came in and out of my life. Sadly, cards would be returned and I would get a phone call from a cousin that an aunt had died. Returned cards still signal bad news. Although now I check Facebook to find out what happened.
My mom came from a large family and she was the youngest surviving sibling so my cousins were plentiful and mostly much older. Christmas cards exchanged allowed me to get to know them a little more, especially the ones that lived far away.
Christmas time would bring lovely messages and artful cards and letters that brought a little light along with the usual bills and advertising in my mailbox.
After Christmas, I would cut out parts of the cards to use for projects like making Christmas tags.
So, I just sent out Christmas cards once again to old friends and some special family members. Not as many as I did in the past.
I'm hoping it brought a little beauty and a reminder of friendship and caring into their lives that they can look at, keep, and enjoy.
More of my goal to spread a little more joy out there.
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