I blame it on my generation for being completely complacent when it comes to writing Christmas cards (or mailing anything physical for that matter). People in my generation barely remember how to format an envelope properly let alone mail a batch of Christmas cards. Though I’m not proud to admit, I actually had to ‘Google’ which corner to write the ‘return address’ before sending off: top right or top left?

Regular mail just isn’t fashionable anymore. It’s a hassle. Mail boxes are far away. Post offices are even farther. You want me to use a pen? Really? And write with it? Like write a message? Can’t I just send an email instead? Or send one of those goofy e-cards? Wouldn’t you rather see your head animated on the body of a dancing elf or reindeer rather than just some boring, 2-dimensional Christmas card in your mail box?

We rationalized for awhile, but at the end of the day we came to the conclusion that despite the apparent hassle and despite wasting paper that we know will inevitably be chucked in the garbage after the holidays, writing Christmas cards is a genuinely nice thing to do for people.

It felt good to hand over my stack of properly formatted envelopes to the Canada Post guy (who was kind enough to let me take pictures of the epic handover). It also felt great to hear John’s grandma express how happy she was to get a card from us this year (after years of nothing).

Just more evidence that it’s the little things in life that make a difference.