Spouse and I put up our Christmas decorations today.
But before that, we sent out our Christmas cards. And with that, I have a little tale to tell. It's kind of nostalgic, but nostalgia (I think) implies happiness, and this isn't a totally happy tale. But let me proceed and you can decide.
My spouse is old school. Whereas I have names and addresses on the contact list of my iPhone, he uses an address book that I put together in 1993 (I bought it mail order from Lillian Vernon. That company still exists. I hadn't thought about them in years!)
That address book replaced my Mom's old address book. She passed away in 1965, and I don't know when she first started to use it, but it was so tattered that I just couldn't use it anymore.
We set up a little assembly line - I addressed envelopes, put an address label on, and applied a holiday postage stamp. He wrote out the cards. We don't have a big list - it's only his family (mainly cousins), as I (and my family, for the most part) are Jewish.
But I did look at the address book vs. my iPhone contact list, just in case there were discrepancies. This old address book is like a backup.
Each year, though, the list gets smaller and smaller. The number of cross outs get bigger and bigger.
I had to cross out a couple of names this year. I'm thankful it is only a couple.
The Christmas card list shrinks each year. The job gets easier and easier.
And it makes me sad. Those people were part of my life once. Now all they are is memories.
That's life, you may say. I know I am privileged to have reached the age I have reached.
But still...
Mine too. Fewer and fewer relatives from my mother's generation. My old neighbors are gone. My step-father-in-law is in his 90s. My mother had one living friend, and ever Christmas held her breath until the card came. After my mother died, I wrote the address in her book and let the woman know so she wouldn't worry and wonder. I have a physical address book too. What if my phone goes dead right at the wrong time? What if I break it (I have done that, and am now using my older one!)?
ReplyDelete...fortunately my Sweetie takes care of the cards!
ReplyDeleteI never could get the hang of Christmas cards. And I really don't have the group of friends that make it necessary. It's sad how those things dwindle over the years.
ReplyDeleteCards aren't what they use to be, since the computer and such.
ReplyDeleteStay Safe and Coffee is on
I've noticed that when I saud "let's invite the usual crowd" the number of people I meant to include in 2019 was much smaller than it was in 2009 or 1999...
ReplyDelete