Last posting days? Reports of the death of the Christmas card are premature according to Ali Bacon
Remember how books ‘as we know them’ were on their way out?
I seem to remember a few years ago the same kind of prediction was going on
around Christmas cards: rising postage, conservation, e-alternatives and a
multi-faith society made it look like the white bendy things were heading for
oblivion and I think that was a reasonable prediction. I culled my list, signed
up for an e-card service and found old friends turning up in my inbox rather
than on my door-mat. I can’t deny a pang of conscience for however many
thousands of jobs relied on their production and design and the possible loss
to charity coffers (how many of us make that donation we really mean to?) but
that was balanced out by the feel-good factor of thrift and eco-friendliness.
Well here we are a few years on and I glimpse a small
revival of the robin and reindeer cheeriness. Cost of postage it has to be
said is a factor and I’m surprised (in a good way) that my children are now
asking for addresses of cousins and aunts to send cards to those we would have
met up with when they were younger. As for our current collection, it may not be huge but it’s
more varied than ever before, encompassing everything from bijoux to bland to
downright bolshie. And if Mr
McSproutface isn’t to everyone’s taste, it’s part of a hand-written limited
edition. What can be better than that? At a local Christmas craft market I noticed similarly
bespoke cards - from minimalist to downright mad - were changing hands in
numbers for £2 a time. A far cry from haggling over the cost of a packet of 10.
So are Christmas cards on the up? I think not exactly, but maybe
there is a change of direction. There has always been an argument about whether
cards are for people you see all the time and want to share a greeting with, or
those whom you never contact except at Christmas. I think my list is swinging
to the former. While my list of ‘only Christmas’ is getting shorter (because there is always
e-mail) I have given cards with pleasure to those who are ‘closer’, whether
they are near or far geographically. Which ties in I suppose with the idea of
fewer cards but in some case a bigger spend. I hope this also makes me okay
with the trees and artisan card-makers.
Finally, amongst the usual Santa suspects, here is a little
gem from a bygone age which was sent to me through the post from a collector
friend. I don’t know its exact origins
but it is small, perfectly formed and has a rhyme which I have decided to make
my Christmas message to the world this year.
And chilling blasts an aspect drear impart,
Whate'er the storms of dull December hold,
Let naught assail the Summer of thy heart
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