Social Etiquette

Each year my Christmas card list shrinks by one or two friends. As we get older, death is getting in the way. My age group has kept up the annual ritual of sending cards. We may not call or send letters throughout the year but come December, it’s an opportunity to let your friends know you are thinking about them.

I grew up in a rural community & it was exciting to see the postal carrier stop at our mailbox & deposit cards from family & friends that had moved away. We would open the cards & read them over & over, and save them to have the address, as this was long before having an address book. When my cards are returned stamped “Return to Sender, Unable to Forward,” I know something has happened to that person.

My younger friends are not interested in sending cards. They feel it’s not necessary; it’s a waste of time & a waste of paper resources. Their communication style is sending you greetings via Facebook or other electronic means. Call me old-fashioned, but I do not want to get a salutation addressed to “all my Facebook friends.” There’s nothing personal in that & you’re just part of a group. I still enjoy opening my mailbox and finding a card that someone took the time to buy & send me a handwritten message.

This is a form of social etiquette that is going away like the dinosaurs. Children are not being taught to say thank you when given a gift & are not being taught to write a note. Good social etiquette promotes kindness, humility & consideration. Even the smallest acts can make the biggest difference.

Yes, I save my cards. I re-read them after the holidays before putting them away. I love the family Christmas newsletters & finding out what has gone on with them over the past year. That’s when I learn of new grandchildren, vacations taken, & recovery from illnesses.

I lost two friends this year & I cherish the last cards I received from them. I will continue to perform my annual ritual of reaching out. If you don’t hear from me, well, let’s not go there just yet!