"Merry Christmas" - Voices From The Past

Wishing all of my Friends & Family a

Blessed & Merry Christmas!

 

 

 

 

Happy National Postcard Week 2012

This is the first year that I have been able to participate in National Postcard Week.  I have wanted to participate in a postcard swap ever since I was sent an invite to one about 10 years ago.  At that time I didn't know how to even begin designing my own postcards and about two years ago I was very determined to figure it out.  Unfortunately so far the most inexpensive place to get your postcards done is Vista but they are the 4 x 6 continental sized card.  I would love to find a place that was inexpensive, that you didn't have to order more than a couple hundred of each kind, and printed a size that is closer to the traditional 3.5 x 5.5 inch cards of years gone by.  So if anyone knows of a site that fits this criteria please leave a comment for me with the information; thank you in advance.

I am excitedly sending out my first (non-envelope) batch of postcards today.  Because many of the people on the list requested a card sent in an envelope I am going to go on a search for Dollar Store envelopes tonight after work and will be sending the rest out tomorrow.  I am mailing one of the following cards this year:
    This one is called Forgotten Memory since it reminds me of the old abandoned buildings and how 
    they are filled with people's memories even if they don't look like it today.   

http://www.etsy.com/listing/98795105/1-fine-art-postcard-the-forgotten-memory

     This one is called Homestead Lost In Time; both images were taken from Central Cal.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/98795187/1-fine-art-postcard-homestead-lost-in?ref=v1_other_1

I love old buildings and I wanted to send something from my own photography collection of California, especially since most of the people on the list are from other states.  What I have learned this year is that I should have put National Postcard Week May 6 2012 on the card.  I never even thought about it until I received a few sent to me.  My hand is aching from having to hand write on the back my celebratory greetings.  But considering this is my first year I figure I am going to give myself a break and just enjoy the fact I was able to participate; everything is a learning process. 

Here are some of the postcards I received so far, these came already last week; talk about prompt!

From Sandusky Ohio

From Alamogordo New Mexico

From Belleville Illinois

From Mission Texas

From Mission Texas

From Cartersville Georgia

From Pawtucket Rhode Island

 I will post my other cards that I receive so stay tuned. 

Wish Lists and Letters To Santa

While I was growing up letters to Santa were a must if you were going to be guaranteed any in put on your Christmas gifts.  As soon as I was told that it was time to make the list it was as if the starting gun went off.  Making the list meant that Christmas was on its way!  Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles and everyone that I hadn't seen for months will be busily chatting around the family table soon.  We would be baking Christmas cookies and singing carols in no time.  Decorations and street lights will be going up soon and day dreaming would become a irresistible pastime.  It was a chance to dream of grandeur; Santa would get my letter and list and I would have wrote it so well that he would cheerful bring me every last toy and trinket on it. 
At that time the Sears catalog was still huge and both they and JcPenny would print their Christmas series called the Wish Book.  These brightly colored books were amazing; hundreds of pages covered in pictures of every toy you could imagine.  Even if it wasn't a toy the item intrigued me because at that time we didn't really have super stores.  Many of the featured items could only be purchased through the catalog so they were unique and never seen on the store shelves.  As a small child it was easier to believe that Santa brought your gifts because there were no Walmart emblems on the packaging.

Once I was blessed with having my own children I always asked them to make a letter to Santa and their own Christmas list.  Gone were the days of thick dreamy catalogs but there were so many other stores contributing to the clutter of advertising that I would be able to gather together a pretty impressive pile of magical fliers.  When they were too little to write out everything I would help them with the letter and then give them scissors and glue.  Their little collages would be choppy and hard to make out at times but most of the time it sent a clear excited message; Christmas is coming!
It seems that many kids do not make Christmas lists or even write letters to Santa any more.  They take for granted that they are going to wake up on Christmas morning and all they wanted will be there.  I am not sure how that tradition goes now maybe Santa has taken to bugging each house and that is how he knows but I think that there were many important things going on when we made those lists.
Growing up, writing those letters gave me and my kids an element of magic and anticipation, it was something that you looked forward to as it kicked off the holiday season.  I also found that those were perfect teachable moments; my kids wanted to spell everything right, they wanted their handwriting to be perfect and I can't forget to mention it also gave me a moment of peace and quite.  Fortunately my kids never questioned why they didn't get certain items from the list; it was understood that it was a Wish List. But to keep them encouraged I did make sure at least a few of those things on the Wish List would arrive on Christmas morning. 
I hope that more families will be able to find the time to teach this fun holiday tradition to their kids and please, as a favor...Don't have them text Santa the list.

Have a blessed day.