Every year even before Halloween my mail box on my front porch begins to be stuffed with ads for things I don’t need or want. There are catalogues for things I’ve never needed and companies I’ve never heard of. After sorting out the few bills I receive, the rest goes into the recycling bin. The poor postal courier’s bag gets heavier and heavier.
As October becomes November and then December, there appears to be something new in my mail box. I begin to sort through the mail with more care. Stuck between the auto dealer’s ad and a catalogue for over-priced doodads is a hand-written envelope addressed to me, not just the occupant. Thus begins one of my favorite holiday customs — the sending of greeting cards for holidays!
Writing hand-written letters, notes or cards has almost become obsolete. It is much easier to send an email or a text message. Bah Humbug! Nothing is more rewarding and comforting then receiving a card from your beset college friend writing about her family and their activities. A card from a neighbor who has moved across the country makes you laugh as she tells of their misadventures.
I leave all of my cards in my basket on the sideboard all winter long. It cheers me up on a cold, dark winter day to read them over again and once more feel the holiday spirit they bring.
Three cheers for the U.S. Postal Service that brings these greetings to us. Much thanks to the postal carriers who trudge through snow with their sack on their back to bring joy to us. Who ever said there was no Santa Claus?
Miriam Hardy
Middlebury