Sunday, December 27

Why We Bother Sending out Holiday Cards

by Karen Robert

As you sit there stamping and addressing countless Christmas cards, do you ever wonder why you’re doing it? My cynical husband, thinks that we women send the photo Christmas card in order to compete for who has the cutest card, or the cutest kids, or the cutest dog…. In fact we all know that there is something magical about getting cards in the Christmas season, and something so much better about getting a card with a photo than a generic card. But why?

When I was doing my book (a compilation of amazing Christmas cards) , my editor and I decided that we would not put an explanation under each card. We thought it would be better to let the cards each speak for themselves. We decided to rely on the old adage that a picture is worth a thousand words. However, there was one card in particular to which I desperately wanted to include the explanation. Sadly, though, it wouldn’t have worked within the context of the rest of the book. This is the card:

Incredibly, Simone Simpson created this card by actually painting her children’s feet. This is what she told me about it:

“My children still joke about having to sit there for hours while I painted their feet. Even though they are young and still with me, I know one day when they have children they will tell them about that Christmas when their mom painted my feet. Since this card was originally done, these feet have grown larger. Two sets now belong to teenagers, and the remaining are being sported by a boy on the cusp of becoming a young man. Still there is something special and magical in combining familiar imagery in unfamiliar ways.

On a personal note-I was put in a children’s home when I was younger- my mother was a drug addict and we never did Christmas cards. I always thought that they were something special and magical-taking the season and spirit, wrapping both up for family and friends near and far and sticking a stamp on it.” 2007

Her words bring tears to my eyes every time I read it. To my cynical husband  THIS is why we bother to send out photo Christmas cards. We take joy in creating a memory for our children as well as in connecting with friends by placing pictures of  our family in their hands. But I think he secretly knows this. Though he just walked in the door and rolled his eyes at me elbow deep in half addressed envelopes,  the next thing he did was to go to the pile of cards we received today and start sifting through them with a half smile on his face. The big softie secretly gets a big kick out of seeing how our friends’ families are growing, and realizing we are still a part of their lives.  Apparently, even he thinks there is more to the sending and receiving of photo Christmas cards than just a competition. I rest my case.

Here is our card this year.

Merry Christmas From a Bunch of Flakes

Have a Happy and Magical Christmas

Leave a Comment (1) | Permalink | Creative Tips,Holiday Cards

Share This |