PRESSED BETWEEN THE PAGES
DeAnn (Wolkow) Kruempel
Wishes We Can Hold Onto
They came from Sweden, California, Maine and North Dakota. They came from the neighbors up the road. The ones from Sweden were of thin, white air mail paper. Tiny red and blue stripes lined the envelope’s edges. Through the month of December our mailman delivered envelopes of various sizes and colors almost every day—Christmas cards.
Every December, once the fruitcake was ripening in the porch, Mom brought out her stash of cards and her tablet and began to write Christmas letters. Every evening, she finished a few to be mailed the next day.
Our mother loved getting Christmas cards. She and Dad read the cards and letters and discussed the news as they shared after-dinner coffee. There were updates from cousins, uncles, aunts, friends and distant relatives. Marriage. A new baby. Cancer. Funeral. Once a year, miles didn’t matter; people connected.
Mom kept the cards in a pretty bowl. When Grandma and the aunts came for New Year’s Day, they went through the cards. “Oh, you heard from cousin…?” “The Danes sent a card to me. They bought a dairy farm in North Dakota.”
Sending and receiving Christmas cards has been an important family tradition for a long time. Posted Christmas wishes began nearly two centuries ago. In London, Sir Henry Cole is believed to have sent the first documented Christmas card in 1843. In America, the cards appeared in the late 1840s, but were too expensive for common people. In 1875 a printer named Louis Prang produced a few, but Christmas cards became popular after 1915 when the Hall brothers (now Hallmark) designed and mass-produced cards featuring a variety of holiday pictures and messages. For years, millions of Americans mailed holiday greetings.
Times change. Today, mailboxes may not be crammed with countless cards. Have you heard the comments? “I am cutting back on Christmas cards this year.” “I don’t send them anymore. Postage is too high!” (In 1962, postage stamps were four cents.) “Everybody just puts something on Facebook or sends emails.” Is the long-cherished tradition of mailing cards going the way of the horse and buggy?
I hope not. Consider, as we make our New Year’s resolutions, why it is worth continuing the custom. The most important reason to keep mailing cards is that people want them. Surveys reveal that the majority of people would rather receive a real card than a digital message. When I find cards in my mailbox, I am reminded that people really care. Digital cards and email cannot compete with that special feeling. Also, not everyone has access to social media.
Cards show thoughtful support for loved ones. Some may be going through rough times and cherish a lasting physical statement of comfort and joy. The mailed messages foster long distance connections. That letter may be the only contact for the year; it may be a reminder that we are still alive! Beautiful or whimsical pictures or family photos add to the festive atmosphere of the season.
They bring a moment of joy to our daily routine.
Christmas cards build and continue tradition and create lasting memories. We can touch and hold a card. We can read it again and again. A physical card is a thoughtful tangible reminder in our less-than-tangible world that we are loved. What a wonderful tradition to hold onto!
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DeAnn Kruempel grew up on a farm near De Smet, SD, the sixth child of Harrison and Mabel Wolkow. She attended school at Erwin and De Smet and has lived in Benedict, ND, Toeterville, Akron, Missouri Valley and Logan, IA. The author worked in school and public libraries for more than 30 years. Her column has run in a growing number of Midwest newspapers for five years.
Each year the author has published the stories into a book. She has also published a historical fiction series, “Promises to Keep.” Her ten published books are available on Amazon. Signed copies may be purchased at the Harrison County Welcome Center. Contact Kruempel at deannkruempelauthor@gmail.com.
