This year, I was encouraged by a friend of mine to create Christmas cards. She raised the point that, with so much of our lives moving in the direction of digital, it means more to receive an old-school 3D card that you can touch, feel, and hang on your wall.
I have always had a difficult relationship with cards. When I was younger, I had a hard time keeping up with birthdays and holidays. I couldn't cope with the demands that cards would bring. I even wrote a poem once to my Grandmother, who would get upset if I forgot to send her a card, saying that love doesn't require an external expression and that I love her no matter if I remember to send a card or not.
Later on, I moved to ecards because I was concerned about the environmental costs of cards. Then I became so isolated in my life due to the constraints of an abusive relationship that I lost the need for cards altogether.
As I've begun to reclaim my life, I'm restoring and finding value in old traditions, and this year it has been sending homemade cards.
I love the fact that, even though these are not great works of art, they are a little packet of love sent from me to them. I took the time to make it and send it to them is where the value lies. (My mum said she is thinking of framing hers. No commercial card can invoke that response!)
I have come to love the art of making gifts this year too. I'll post about them after Christmas. The whole process, although time-intensive, has brought meaning and joy to my heart. I can't wait to see their faces as they open the cards and gifts I've made. This kind of heart-gifting is what Christmas should be all about.
Here are my cards:
