Christmas Tidings

Yesterday I started on my Christmas card list. Who do I send cards to? Who do I not? What criteria defines a Christmas card receiver? I only came up with 6 households. Being single during Christmas shortens my list. I used to send cards to his parents and aunt, but those days are over. Christmas cards make me sad. I start thinking of all the cards my parents receive from people I have never met that were at one time close friends with them. They’d send pictures of the kids or whole family. Now they send pictures of their kids and grandkids. Time passes. It always amazed me that my parents once knew that many people. How come they never came around? How come they never called? As though being a grown up and having kids cut you off from the world. That you would have to give it up, you can’t have both.

Now as I compile my list, I call my friends and let them know that I’m sending this card. That I don’t want these cards to be the only definition of our friendship. I want them to come to dinner, for our kids (someday) to play with one another. I don’t want just the one card a year with the pictures of kids I’ve never met, and 365 days crammed into one or two paragraphs to keep me until the next Christmas. Why should friendships be limited to that? I’ve never understood. Hopefully I never do.