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Break out the stamps! It's Holiday Card Season!

Poland Postage Stamp: Cat by Karen Horton
via Flickr CC BY NC ND

And so it begins.

I'm a big fan of Thanksgiving. It's the only time of the year that I consider pumpkin pie a breakfast food. But with the end of awkward family conversations and scraping the last bit of cheesy mashed potatoes from the bowl begins one of my favorite holiday traditions.

Sending holiday cards has been a tradition of mine for years and it's something I look forward to for many reasons. From choosing cards that are creative and often covered in glitter to spending a few minutes focusing on each person, for me, writing out holiday cards combines everything I love about the holidays.

The Making of the List
Holiday cards give me a chance to make a list all of the people who have touched my life in the past year and also the people who have been a presence in my life in years past with whom I have lost touch. It is an immense lesson in gratitude that I suggest everyone do, even if you don't plan to send cards. It's hard to look at a list of 30 to 40 people who have made an impact on you in some way and not feel grateful.

The Writing of the Cards
Not only do I enjoy the list-making element (Type A Personality alert), but the best part is actually writing out the cards. For some of the people on the list, it's a chance to catch people up on the pieces of my life I know they are most interested in (e.g. my son). But I always like to include at least one thing that I admire about them or one reason I'm glad they are in my life. Their enormous optimism. Our amazing conversations. Their passion for photography that makes me love all their Instagram posts. It's important to me to make each card personal.

The Opening of the Mailbox
Like with any notes, I think most people are like me. They enjoy seeing something in their mail box that is not a bill or addressed to "Current Resident". I make sure to write cards to my niece and nephews, especially when they are under the age of 12 and getting mail -- even if it's just a card from their relative -- is a day-making occurrence. And like thank you notes, I get a lot of people who are pleasantly surprised by the hand-written holiday greetings.

While I do not expect holiday cards from people, I do love receiving them. At this stage of my life, most of what I receive are pictures of families and children -- many of whom I see only glimpses through various social media platforms. Those are fun. I do devour any cards that include personal notes -- even if they are copied verbatim across all cards.

It's been several years since I've managed to send out a card to everyone on my list. It takes a lot of time and I often choose the next card to write by inspiration -- the start of the card just comes to me. Some years I'm busier than others, some years I'm lazier than others. And sometimes the inspiration just doesn't come. But I still look forward to making the list and writing what I can. It helps me be thankful for everything that I have and all the people in my life.
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