Advent Calendar: December 2, 2015

Christmas Cards: Post # 2

Do you still send Christmas cards or has electronic communication taken the place of this tradition? Do you remember sending Christmas cards as a child – making a list, sending out your family’s cards and then checking the mailbox for cards sent to your family? How did your family display the cards? Write about anything related to Christmas cards and your memories of Christmases past.

Me sitting in front of our fireplace (abt. 1967) at 706 Hillcrest Ave., Perry, Georgia. (I love peeking  around in the background here finding a few heirlooms)

I will be writing my memories  in collaboration with my husband’s. It will be a comparison of Southern vs Northern celebrations.

Christmas Cards: Post # 2

My Memories:  Again, I have no memory of cards coming to the house, but my photo I found, shows me that we received cards and mama hung them over the fireplace. I vaguely remember her telling me she sent out a few cards every year, but in years past she sent cards to whomever sent to her. But now she’s given up on even that, although I always get one from her and Boo (her cat) every year.

When I first married, I remember being excited to send out Christmas cards from Mr. and Mrs. Insalaco; that probably didn’t last long, but I did send out a few every year, but today I only send to my mother.

As I became more computer savvy, I created Christmas newsletters and sent them out for several years until I just ran out of time around the holidays to write, print and mail. My newsletter wasn’t just one page, it often was four pages; I even printed graphics on my envelopes along with their address. I do have them all saved on the computer and in a binder – maybe one year I will surprise everyone; the family loved reading about our yearly trips to Georgia.

I have a few cards saved from my parents and grandparents and often hang them at Christmas; it’s nice to look at their signatures and think about when they were sent.

This was a great show!

Phantom of the Opera is my all-time favorite show!

I certainly hope we don’t have a repeat of these snowstorms I wrote about here!

I even decorated the envelopes!

My Husband’s Memories:  Mama sometimes hung the cards received on the living room stairs ~ I would tape them along the handrail and they would cover all the way up; or I would hang a ribbon from one end of the wood cornices, over the curtains, to hang the cards from.

The wood cornices were made by my Uncle Jimmy Donahue (he made them for everyone in the family) and they often held the Christmas cards from a ribbon strung across.

I remember my mother sending out cards, usually about 40 or more – my job was always sealing the envelopes and adding the stamps. I probably had to mail them too.

As the years went by, less cards arrived and fewer cards mama mailed; if postage stamps went up, everyone complained about sending out cards.

A family photo of my husbands grandparents living room with Christmas cards displayed on the door.

Cards hung across the wall over the Grandma Minnie’s couch.

So it seems that whether you lived in the North or the South – sending and hanging your Christmas cards was pretty much the same in all families.

Like to read more ~ Click on 2015: Advent Calendar of Christmas

© 2015 Jeanne Bryan Insalaco