Countdown to Christmas - Photo Challenge - Day 18:CARD

My mom would send out over 100 cards with handwritten notes inside each year.  The more sparkles on the card, the better.  Since Mom's passing, I have had several friends and family tell me that her card was the first one they would receive every Christmas.  They are all missing her special seasons greetings this year.

A month or more before Christmas, Mom would have me start looking for that perfect selection of Christmas Cards.  I would try to tell her that she had so many cards left over from years before that she should use those first.  But she insisted that she needed new designs, as she didn't want to send the same card to someone on her list two years in a row.

As many varieties of Christmas stamps that were available had to be purchased and the multitude of Christmas seals from various charitable organizations were assembled so her card writing process could begin.

Then there was always the additional trip to the post office to mail those two to three Internationally-addressed cards to England, New Zealand, and Brazil.

As cards begin arriving, the proper check-in process (as I learned from Mom) is to make sure I have the person's address correct in my book, make a check mark in the "Received" column right next to the "Sent" check mark and then tape the colorful card to the door to admire for a month or more.

For many years I have sent the photo Christmas card, and I also enjoy receiving that photo card from others as it is a great way to measure the growth of friends' and family's children. I also usually come up with some kind of form letter as well to highlight my own family's events, job and school status, and travels throughout the year.

I must admit, though, that my actual mailing of the cards through the postal system has gone from 70+ to just 30 now, as I, like quite a few others, have gone to sending out primarily electronic greetings.

While I do enjoy the photo cards, I'm really starting to appreciate the traditional cards more and more...it's a shame since less and less people are mailing them out.  Maybe it's knowing how much my mother loved sending and receiving them that has me enjoying them more this year...I don't know.

To date, we have received about 20 cards in the mail...my door could use a few more :)