My Christmas Card List

I've been addressing Christmas cards off and on for the past week. It's a chore so many people dread at holiday time, but there's something about it that I've always enjoyed. My list is far too long, and every year I plan to cut a few people. After all, many are ones I only correspond with once a year.

But that's exactly why I can never take their name off my list. At one time in my life (or Ken's) they meant something to us and still do. Each name I come to brings back a memory of some kind. I still hear from a couple of my friends I knew while growing-up in suburban Chicago. We share many years of childhood memories. Then there are college friends for both Ken and me. We've stayed in touch with several of them, and even though we live far from one another, I still care about them. I still treasure the memories of those four years we spent as close pals.

We've lived in five communities in the forty-six years we've been married, and there are several people in each town that we exchange cards with. Once again, they were a part of our lives and people we've cared enough about to keep in touch.

Family members are on the list, too, for how could we forget them? Siblings, our children, even many cousins.Those ties are hard to break, nor do I want to.

We meet a lot of people in a lifetime, but there are some that we click with and want to continue friendships. What better way to do that than exchange Christmas cards with personal notes on them? Or even the one- letter-fits-all kind of note. I like to know what is going on with these people, what new babies have come into the family, what happy things have occurred, and yes, even what health issues or sad events have taken place.

So, I'll keep my list the length it is and make it a priority for my Christmas preparations. I look forward to hearing the mailman's truck during December as he brings us wonderful cards and notes from so many parts of our country and even from overseas.

Each one of those cards has a history for me. I could probably sit down and write a story about each and every sender, but other Christmas chores demand my attention now, and once Christmas is over, the thought goes on the back burner. It would be nice, though, to have a booklet of stories about people on my Christmas card list.