The Christmas Card

While queuing in the post office today I eavesdropped on the conversation of the two ladies behind me.  I couldn’t help it.  They had encroached in to my personal space and they weren’t using indoor voices.
 
They discussed two things during the ten minute wait; the first was how one didn’t have a television (that was weird), the second thing was about how many Christmas Cards each had sent and received.   The two women known as L because she was on my left and R because she was, yeap you guessed it, on my right, started talking about it because R, was posting belated cards.
 
L had sent 78 cards and received 11.  A rate of return of 14%
 
R had already sent 93 cards and received only four. A rate of return of 4%
 
I had the same issue this year (and years before).  I sent 53 cards in the end and nine came to me.  Four of those were addressed to my dog.  If you add those to me and Cara together we got 16% back.  In relation to L and R I got the better end of the stick and I’d been feeling hard done by.
 
What does this say about the tradition of sending cards at Christmas?  Clearly some people are still doing it, some aren’t.  Maybe they intend to send them, but just don’t get around to writing them out before mid December.  I’m with R, send them anyway.  It’s the thought that counts regardless of when they arrive.
 
There is something nice about receiving that hand written envelope in the mail box.  You know it’s a card from some far flung place, is it a friend or family member that though of you at one of the loneliest times of the year (seconded only be Valentines for singles).  Is it from a new friend that you randomly added on Facebook so you could play games?  Is it from someone that you only really hear from at Christmas?  Is it from a company you did business with at some time in the past and now they are reaching out to remind you they exist? 

Is it from a relative that has been estranged?
 
It doesn’t really matter.  It’s something for you without anything required in return except a little love.  No bill to pay, no insurance to renew, no reminder that you’ve been slack.
 
Unless of course you haven’t sent any cards...then the person that sent the card you now hold in your hand is wondering...’where’s mine?’
 
There’s still time to post them for this year :-)