What's in the Cards

As I look at the stack of holiday cards I've received, I realize that there's more to them than meets the eye. For one thing, one's holiday card can say a lot about the person. Is there a hand-written, personal message inside? I insist on at least writing "Dear so-and so", although if the family has more than two kids, I won't list the kids' names. And, while I might mention their dog's name, I don't do cats. I also put a "love" or simply the heart symbol before our printed names. If they're a close friend or relative, I'll also write a couple of lines. When I get a card without any hand-written salutation or message, I honestly think, "Why bother sending this?" (A nice holiday thought, I know.)

Holiday cards can also be a measure of one's popularity. And, if so, I'm not doing so well. When I was over a friend's house recently, I saw that she had received a holiday card from a friend of mine who's in my book club. I'm still wondering why I didn't make that woman's holiday card list. Then, I mentioned that I was invited to another woman's holiday party. My friend said, indignantly, "She sent me a holiday card, but she didn't invite me to her party?!" And, I thought, "Gee, I didn't get a card from her either."

Then, of course, there's the message that your holiday card sends. I received a bunch of cards that had, "Merry Christmas!" printed on them. And, I thought, "Gutsy." In this politically correct time, I'm surprised there are still holiday specific cards and people willing to send them (good for them.) Then, there was my friend who mistakenly bought and affixed Muslim stamps to her holiday cards. She got more than a few calls from friends wondering if she had been trying to make some kind of political statement. Speaking of which, one of my relatives told me that next year, they're sending e-mail cards in an effort to save trees.

So, you see, holiday cards are not as simple as they seem.