(This is day 4 in the Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories)
I remember sitting down and watching my Mom write out Christmas cards. They went to family and friends, some we hadn’t seen all year, but they were remembered with a card.
I used to wait eagerly each day to see what cards came in the mail. It was so much fun to see the different stamps and then see what kind of card the person sent. Was it one of the stodgy gold cards or was it a cute one with Santa and animals?
My Mom gave me a humongous book with a vinyl cover. It had thin, grey pages. Each year, she would glue in the cards I received for Christmas. As I got older, I did it myself. I filled up the book in six grade with a mix of Christmas, birthday, and other greetings. I can still remember a couple of cards like the Santa that I took a red ink pen to. There are cards from my grandparents in that book too.
When I was getting ready to move this Summer, I found my vinyl greeting card book. My goodness, was it packed with cards–and letters! It was fun to look through them and bring back those memories.
I do send out Christmas cards to friends and family. Usually I make the cards on my computer using a silly photo of one of the dogs. I am not so certain I will do cards this year. My Dad’s passing away has eating up alot of time and emotion this year. The thought of sitting down and doing cards seems like another hassle. Hopefully, as the season gets underway, I will get more in the spirit.
For the Pacheco-de Braga side of the family, I also include a yearly newsletter. This newsletter isn’t about me. It’s about them. The first part includes different bits of news cousins have sent me all year long. The second half includes genealogy information–usually a new discovery and then a little taste of genealogy data that everyone can share in.
I still enjoy waiting for the mail to come during the holiday season. Now along with the cards, I get photos of distant cousins, cards with little notes, and family newsletters which all make their way into my genealogy binders. So, in a way, I do still save those cards, but now they become a part of family history. Someone will appreciate my efforts one day as I appreciated my Mom making the greeting card book for me.
