the first arrival of Christmas

Notes of Friendship
Lela Meredith

I treasure all my Christmas cards;
They mean so much to me,
Each one from someone special whom
I'd so much like to see.

Some come from friends I don't oft see--
They live too far away--
Their cards are like a friendly smile
That brightens Christmas Day.

The message each one brings to me
From friends on my own street,
Is like a gift that's wrapped with love,
Each one a yuletide treat.

I'm thankful for these lovely cards
That come to me each year--
These precious notes of friendship with
Their greetings of good cheer.

And I wish for you this Christmas all
The joy the season brings;
Peace, good health and lots of love--
The best of everything.

i said something earlier today about how Christmas is so rich in tradition & memories for me. one of those traditions is sending Christmas cards. ever since i was about 10 years old, i helped my Dad with this each December. he would buy a healthy stack of cards & books of holiday postage. he'd get out his little plastic pouch that held all the envelopes with their return addresses. he'd put on some Christmas music & pour us each a mug of hot spiced apple cider. we'd sit side by side at our kitchen table. he would sign the cards & put them in the envelopes, seal them & hand them to me. i would address the envelope & put a stamp on it. and we'd make a big stack to bring to the post office the next day.

i still do this. even though so many people have gotten away from this tradition, i still buy my boxes of Christmas cards, carefully selected, and i send them on their merry way. i love this tradition, especially now that i am so far away from so many of the important people in my life. and i always look forward to the cards that appear in my own mailbox. i got the first one today. and it put a big smile on my face. i love the anticipation of pulling the card out of it envelope to see what it looks like & this one most certainly did not disappoint. after all, who couldn't smile at these cuties?? =)