Wave of Consciousness, "A Voice of Sanity in a World of Conflict"

Christmas People

by Natalia J. Garland, M.S.W.

Who sent Christmas cards to you this year? Probably your relatives, friends, and co-workers. I like Christmas cards. I like sending them and I like receiving them. Some relatives, friends, and co-workers have become separated by the passing years and by long distances. These are people whom I can no longer talk to or go out with. Some of them I have not seen in several years. I refer to them as my Christmas people.

At this time each year, I get out my organizer and look up the addresses of my Christmas people. Sending them a Christmas card is my way of staying connected to people who were once a very important part of my life. I dislike letting time and distance obscure these relationships and memories.

I enjoy extending good wishes for the Christmas Season and the New Year. A Christmas card is a simple yet personal way to announce the Good News. Sometimes I enclose a note summarizing the past year's events in my life. I know that most of my Christmas people feel uplifted to be remembered with a pretty card. Now and then, one of them dies and our connection, on this earth, is ended.

There are also some people, my age, who have stopped sending Christmas cards. It has become a chore. And postage stamps are expensive. When, after a couple of years, I am no longer getting a card in return, I make the decision to remove that name from my list of Christmas people. The relationship is severed permanently. Well, it had already been severed but I kept it going in my heart. Even I, however, reach a point where I recognize the transient nature of situational friendships.

This year I removed two Christmas people from my list. But, I acquired several new co-workers. Life replenishes itself. I have added their names in my organizer. I think they are worth the price of a postage stamp.

I have already bought next year's Christmas cards, at half price. It is a challenge and a ritual. I take pleasure in selecting just the right card--the design, the message, the quality of the paper. I will store them in the closet until next December. Then I will get out my organizer and begin addressing cards to relatives, friends, co-workers, and my Christmas people. (Written 12/24/04)