The Christmas Card Tradition Carries On
By Elle Andra-Warner
In this digital age of emails, texts, social media, cell phones, and DMs to send holiday greetings, I still like the old-fashioned way of mailing Christmas cards by post.
Growing up in Port Arthur (now part of Thunder Bay) in an immigrant family, it was a tradition for my parents to send Christmas cards each year. Some were sent to Estonian friends and other Estonian refugees scattered around the world, others were sent to friends in our local community. Each card was signed with a short, handwritten note and mailed a couple of weeks before Christmas. While my parents have been gone now for several years, their Christmas card tradition is something I’ve carried on.
Why do I still send cards? Well, besides tradition, for me it’s a way of connecting with people, including those I haven’t seen in person for a while. In the last few years, I’ve even added some relatives I’ve never met to my list, having discovered them via researching family history.
Admittedly, receiving Christmas cards in my mailbox always brings a smile and nostalgic memories of the sender. It’s a mutual way of keeping us linked, even if it’s only once a year. By the way, though I’m a card traditionalist, the digital musical animated greeting cards—a new age tradition—also brings smiles and are much appreciated.
It’s important to remember to mail out the cards on time. A couple of years ago, I had all the cards signed, sealed, and stamped by early December. My husband volunteered to mail them, and put them in our car’s back seat to bring to the post office. Fast forward to early January, and guess what? The cards were still in the back seat—he forgot to mail them.
Not surprisingly, stamps cost more these days. In 1968, it only cost 5 cents to send a card within Canada. Today, the stamp is $1.07 (92 cents if bought in bulk). Though it costs more to send a card, the value remains “priceless.”
Here’s some fun Christmas card trivia. According to various sources, the best-selling Christmas card of all time is the “Three Little Angels” launched in 1977 and updated in 2019; it’s an image of three lovable angels. And while the first commercialized Christmas card was created in England in 1843, the first personalized photo Christmas card can be traced back to 1891 to America’s famous sharpshooter Annie Oakley, star of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show, while she was in Glasgow, Scotland.
Happy holidays to everyone and all the best for 2024.
Lutefisk, Candlelight, Oyster Stew, and an Updo
By Naomi Yaeger
My cherished childhood Christmas memories still warm my heart. We weren’t the neatest family, but Mom told us that Santa didn’t like to visit a dirty house. So, my brother and I diligently cleaned our house on the 24th. We enjoyed the house and how nice it looked.
Candlelight services marked our Christmas Eves, and I recall my 3-year-old brother’s determination to “set my candle on fire.” As each person shared their light in the dimly lit church, a sense of wonder enveloped the congregation. The glow touched all, from toddlers to older people.
As the congregation extinguished, excitement filled the air. Those who opened presents on Christmas Eve couldn’t wait to rush home and tear into their gifts.
Our family blended diverse traditions, with Dad’s Scandinavian roots favoring Christmas Eve celebrations and Mom’s British heritage leaning towards Christmas Day. Mom learned that Dad didn’t feel like it was Christmas unless he had some lutefisk and oyster stew. She didn’t want to cook that. So, they struck a deal, and on the 24th, Dad prepared lutefisk and oyster stew for dinner, followed by opening gifts sent by distant relatives.
The next morning, we eagerly waited in our rooms until Mom confirmed Santa’s visit. Racing out in our pajamas, we reveled in discovering the surprises he left. Board games and cards became a cherished part of our celebration, a tradition I still uphold today.
My adult daughter shares my love for the anticipation of Christmas morning and, like me, enjoys playing games. In our household, the joy of watching each other’s eyes light up while discovering gifts was just as meaningful as the gifts themselves.
In addition to Dad’s lutefisk and oyster stew, Mom ensured we lit the Advent candles symbolizing joy, peace, love, hope, and, most importantly, the Christ child candle. These traditions filled our home with love and warmth, making our Christmas celebrations truly special.
As an adult, I have added some new traditions. On my second marriage, I started a new tradition of visiting the beauty parlor to put my hair up fancy. I’ve been doing that for 21 years. My husband plays the guitar, and I place red and Christmasy-looking blankets on our couch. I also make sure the dogs have Christmasy scarves or bandanas. One year, we didn’t even have a Christmas tree, but we did have the ceramic nativity scene my daughter made when she was in 5th grade.
Christmases don’t seem as fun as they were when I was a child. But that’s OK, I don’t have to have the “Best Christmas Ever,” I just have to play a board game, updo my hair, and attend a candlelight service.
