I find it a little odd that texting has made life so impersonal. I can’t tell you how many text messages I received today that had obviously been sent to everyone in the cell phone’s address book. “You are so important to me. Have a very Merry Christmas.”, “When I think about the time we’ve spent together, I laugh!”,…”Happy (insert the holiday you celebrate here!)”…I suppose it’s no different than sending out multiple Christmas cards or letters? That’s perfectly acceptable. People have a group of friends that mean something to them and everyone gets one. One person even stopped me on the way out of work yesterday. He said, “Wait! I have a card for you!”…He dug around in his bag and pulled out an atheist holiday greeting card with a peace sign on the front. I opened it up to find that it was completely unsigned. He was right. It was indeed a card. For me?…Probably not, though it was mine now. Good thing too. I had been looking for something to give to that atheist on my Christmas list.
Oh well…I suppose that no one views life exactly how I do. I understand that my old-fashioned thoughts leave me believing in people and the meaning of the holidays in such a way that many would be taken back by my naivety. I guess I’m all right with that. I’m not much into the materialistic/commercial meaning of Christmas. I like to make things for people that mean something to them. I know that some people don’t have that flare for creativity and likely couldn’t write a song or draw a painting. But how about a card with a signature in it? Or even a text that hasn’t obviously been copied from a “How to make people think you care about them at the holidays with little or no personal thought of your own” handbook?
Dear (name), I love the way your (blonde/brown/red) hair sparkles in the light. I remember the time we (insert memory you may have of me here). It was really (fun/imaginative/scary). Thank you for being (a friend, an acquaintance/a business partner). I look forward to (never seeing you again/getting together over the holidays/a lifelong friendship/getting to know you better/having children with you.) Sincerely, Me
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I received one such text yesterday from one of my oldest and closest friends. I couldn't help but reply with a message that not only named him but was personal. I suspect berating him this way was lost on him, but I feel I needed to do it anyway.
I think it's a matter of age, as I have started to write personal messages in all my Christmas cards over the last two years, but I also see it as being intrinsic to the point of Christmas. What better way to get into the Christmas spirit than spending a few minutes thinking of friends and loved ones individually? It should be part of everyones seasonal routine. Then when you then someone a card, you are not just handing them the product of an overly retail sector commercialised annual event, but you are giving something of yourself, which is surely the point?
Did you manage to get any suggestions of different things to do over Christmas? (You asked for ideas in one of the first articles I read) I hope you did and managed to go through with one of them.
That's funny!...and you are probably correct that your friend didn't even get it at all! I tend to do things all the time that are likely understood only by me! Oh well! What can you do about it?
I didn't get many responses to my original question about ideas for things to do over the holidays though I did get many suggestions involving "drinking your face off"...and one on another site from a guy who went on and on about lubricant...I pretended not to understand that he was not being very nice, thanked him for his kindness and then deleted him the next day. I did have a plan with a friend to go to a different church for midnight mass on Christmas Eve. We did that last year and it set the tone for the whole year. We planned it for the last few weeks and were excited as we picked which church to attend after a long day of Christmas eve Festivities. Well...she left me a message while I was singing during the day that she was sorry to do this to me, but she was "very sick!"...she always thinks she's very sick. Oh well. Last year I went to her house and dragged her out of bed to go and it turned out to be a great experience for us. This year I just didn't bother calling her back and went by myself. It wasn't worth the fight!
Christmas was special though. I wrote a 7 song lullaby cd that included a remake of a song my father had written when we were children. I produced it, my sister, niece and I sang the vocals on it, and my mother made beautiful teddy bears that we put mp3 players and a nice stereo speaker inside with the lullabies in them, and we sent them to our two other sister's babies for Christmas. The babies and their mommies loved them and it felt great to make something so special for people we love so much! I guess that's what I think Christmas should be all about anyway!
I hope you had a very special Christmas! Happy Day Steve!
:)Calia
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