Holiday Cards

Today's Holidailies prompt: "Maintaining friendships ... and do holiday cards help?"

This prompt is very well timed.  I'm sitting here next to a pile of holiday cards that I have to address and send out.  I haven't yet figured out how many I'm sending yet.  I've got a few lists of addresses to go through, but I'm definitely not at the point I was a few years ago, where I sent out close to 100 cards. 

Right now, my current debate is whether or not to e-mail people to get new addresses.  Part of me says I should.  There are definitely a number of good friends who I know have moved and who I would like to send cards to.  But I think I'll make that decision once I finish the cards I already have addresses for.

I think that holiday cards do help maintain friendships.  There are a number of people who I've lost touch with, and sending a holiday card is a good way to get back in touch with people, if only briefly.  I like to know what people are up to, how lives have changed, etc.    Around the holidays, I hear a lot of people talk about those "Christmas newsletters" that people print up and put into their holiday cards.  The general opinion seems to be that they're tacky, but I rather enjoy them.  Even if they are just ways for people to talk about all of the wonderful things their children are doing.  I like knowing what is going on in people's lives. 

Some people might say that a friend who you only communicate with at the holidays isn't a true friend, and I don't necessarily think that's true.  I think they are a friend you have lost touch with, but that doesn't mean it's not a friend.  And you never know when that friendship will become more than a once a year thing.  I think I'm a good example of that.  I have a number of friends who I really only communicated with sporadically, and then all of a sudden, I up and moved halfway across the country, and a number of those friends live in this area.  And now we see each other regularly, for dinner and other events.

I do think that part of the desire to send and receive holiday cards each year is my love for the holiday season, but part of it is the fact that I really don't want to let go of friendships that I formed in college.  Is that a bad thing?  I prefer to think it's not.

(And if you want a card or want to send me a card, send me an e-mail or leave a message here)