Posted on 10/23/2023 6:41:07 AM PDT by SheepWhisperer
Once upon a time there was a novel tradition in Christmas cards. People would buy a box of cards to send to family, friends, neighbors, co-workers and general acquaintances. The cards had a typical layout which began with an image on the front. The image may have been a Bible scene including a manger, or perhaps angels heralding the birth of our Savior, or the more materialistic ones had images of a snowy winter wonderland, Santa and elves.
Inside the cards were printed a verse from the Bible and usually a warm wish for the Holiday.
Each year, a few weeks before Christmas, we would sit down and write a hand written note inside, personally addressing love and warmth to the individuals to whom we were sending the card. Maybe the thoughts shared would be "I miss you", "I love you", or "I really enjoyed the time we spent together this year. Let's do that again soon".
In these words were contained general affection and sincere wishes. After this, we neatly printed the address of the recipient on the envelope, tucked the card inside, licked a stamp and placed it neatly upon the top right corner of the envelope. When done, the envelope was added to the stack of the many others we were sending. So the process went until all the cards were completed. There is nothing more sincere in a relationship over physical distance than a kind word, penned by hand and sent by mail.
Even a hand written thank you note conveys and confirms the gratitude which may have been previously expressed by mere words. It makes the statement "I was so moved by your kindness that I took time out of my day to sit down and write down my thoughts of gratitude and love for you".
Well...
That's all changed. The contemporary trend has become a rather shallow, effortless, insincere relic of what was once an act of kindness.
Now, it has become all too common to go online, pick a card design, add a photo and have a few dozen postcard styled "cards" to send away. Some use excel spreadsheets for preprinted labels and some even upload the address data to be printed upon the envelope. A tidy, time saving, inconvenience of obligation has replaced a tradition of kindness.
But wait! That's not even the worse part! The worst part is the photos that are sent. THEY'RE PICTURES OF THEMSELVES! LOOK AT ME! THIS IS ME ON VACATION, or THIS IS ME IN OUR FABULOUS HOME.
It's become no longer about others, but about SELF and these narcissistic photojournal "holiday" cards which I receive get a laugh and a prompt file13 result with an obligatory "what a narcissist" quiet groan as they're file13'd
As social media has created a culture of more and more narcissistic perspectives, our society decays.
My solution...::chuckle:: Gather photos of these narcissists who send such banal self-indulgences each year and return the favor. Send them a picture of themselves with a note of good wishes.
Maybe something like;
"I was thinking of you this Holiday and thought to send you a note with a picture of YOU to enjoy."
My guess is they might not even understand the humor, some will actually be thankful to see a picture of themselves (feeding their insatiable "self" need) and some might even get a wee bit upset.
For those who get upset, you've only revealed to them that their "card" wasn't about kindness to me, it was really all about yourself.
But, it will awaken many to the glaring fraud of holiday cards with "selfies" in a season about giving to and loving others.
OH Goodness tell me about those “family updates”!!
Relatives on my wifes side are libs and their yearly letter ALWAYS INCLUDES political rants....and they KNOW we are conservative! We just ignore it, and dont even think my wife even will read them. I dont. When we invited them to graduation parties for our children they show up but never left a gift. I wonder if its because we ignore their politics.
MY wife side is just so weird.....
I love that one! 😂
That’s funny.
Fortunately, I’ve never gotten one like that. But friends and relatives have always sent updated pictures of everyone, and I like getting those. I also like hearing about what everyone’s doing - everybody is so spread out over the country/world now, we don’t get to see them much.
Pretty much now with Facebook, you get updated throughout the year.
I don’t know, the family photo Christmas card has been around a long time. I think it started as a photo stuck in the mass printed card. But then morphed. But it’s been there for decades. Whatever, they sent you a card. Enjoy it. Only narcissism I see here is deciding that card isn’t “good enough”.
Lots of people don’t use Facebook. I don’t think I’m aware of anyone I know using it. I never have.
I like a picture or two and a short letter...it is the 2plus typewritten pages giving a month by month diary of their past year I find idiotic...I basically consider it junk mail.
Some friends of ours had a son that lived with his wife in Austin. Back around 2004 or so we got a Christmas letter from the son and wife. They did wish us a Merry Christmas but the rest of the letter complained that Howard Dean had dropped out of the presidential race, and none of the remaining democrat contenders were left wing enough for them.
Well, the personalized family photo sent out as a Christmas Card is nothing new. We have been doing it for over 20 years.
I hope the activity isn’t narcissistic.
There is a practical reason for the laser labels, the rubber stamp return address, and the Christmas letter with the family photo.
That reason is the fact that we MOVE ALL OVER THE PLACE and our family and friends are FAR AWAY. Christmas is a great time to provide an update to family and friends, provide updated contact information, etc. I have gotten thank you notes from people who appreciate my updates, as family members grow up, etc. I do admit that in downer years (nothing but bad news) I just send a regular nativity scene with a hand written line or two in the card.
This isn’t particularly new. What is newer is people doing the same thing through e-mail or social media sites and foregoing the physical media altogether. Not new, but expanding, are people who send nothing because email, texts and social media are ongoing, or because they just don’t get around to it.
Our Christmas card list is 60+, we get about 1/3rd response combined with a smattering of emails or phone calls. My wife LOVES seeing the narcissistic pictures of aging but growing families of our friends in other parts of the country. I like getting the occasional witty letter.
I’d like to think our response is a practical one to the fact of our moving, and our friends being scattered as well, but still keep the physical touch.
When I was growing up, Christmas season mail was so heavy we sometimes got two deliveries a day. I loved getting all the Christmas cards; but older people died off, and not many send them now. I think I send about 20-25, mostly to old friends and family.
I used to like choosing, wrapping and sending gifts, especially for the kids. But most of them really do want some kind of gift card, now. Just as well, because I wouldn’t know what to get - things that would have fascinated me as a child are boring to kids today.
I still do the string thing, over the fireplace :-)
Like many of our Christmas traditions, the Christmas Card comes from Victorian England. Here’s a video from the Victoria and Albert Museum that shows some of the really extravagant, ingenious cards from the early days:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdULP-VYuXk
A card from Laine-y!!!
this thread comments have reminded of things I’d forgotten.
There was a local couple (since passed on) who did something similar.
For their anniversary, they’d go to Walgreens together and each would pick out a card for the other. They’d exchange them, laugh and then put them back.
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