why hallmark and the postal service love me

we've been getting more and more christmas 'cards' in the mail, since the holiday is approaching rapidly. i call them 'cards' because what people have been sending is barely worth the 39 cent stamp on the envelope.

apparently the 'in' (or acceptable) thing to do is to put a picture of the kids or family onto a picture postcard, add in a lovey greeting and then stuff in an envelope with computer-generated labels stuck on the front. what they end up sending out is something that is as unpersonal as you get. the only thing special is the picture, when the real reason i open the envelope is to see the card they chose...the greetings they used...the signatures of my friends and family.

i think letter writing is a dying art. not in a sense of communication, that will continue through email or other electronic means (although the thought of texting honestly makes me cringe). i mean, putting your thoughts on paper in a semi-organized form, with legible penmanship, a loving closing, and flowy signature...spending the 39 cents or more, putting it in the mailbox, and imagining the recipient's excitement at opening mail. i love getting REAL mail. there's not much of it these days btwn the bills and the credit card offers. i consider the time that i put into a letter a gift of its own.

that is why all 70 of the cards i sent out were:

• hand addressed (return address too)
• a personal greeting and signature in each card
• a family signature on our xmas letters that were included (and YES, the letters were off the computer...i do have 3 kids after all!)

upon receiving a photo card from people who i thought of as dear friends, it makes me question the relationship btwn myself and the sender. for example, i've known 'monica' since 2nd grade. we were best friends from about 5th grade on. we grew apart during college and rarely talk now, but i still send her a chatty card for christmas and usually a card for her birthday. today in the mail i got a picture of her two boys in the normal computer-generated format. nothing special at all included to show to me that i was more than just another name in her address book, another checkmark on her card list.

another couple, the husband used to work with rob, sent the most boring printed letter ever, having stuffed it into an envelope with computer printed labels. they didn't even sign the letter. the only PERSONAL touch was a picture of the couple on the address label. i really feel like christmas mailings are all about who can take the most shortcuts with their computer these days.

as long as i can still hold a pen and find a post office, i will do it my way. which we all know is the right way, right? right.