Christmas Cards

 For my Grandma, Christmas cards were the best part of Christmas. People knew how much she loved them, and sent her one every year. Sometimes, the card to Grandma was the only one they sent out. She would put a heavy string across one wall, and hang her cards like clothes on a line. On good years, she had to make two lines.

 Christmas cards may become a thing of the past, along with most other correspondence that is not digital. I still send them out, and love it when I go to the mailbox and it is full of cards. The first year I sent cards out after we were married, the postage was six cents. Yes, it is much more now, but I think it is worth forty-five cents to brighten some one's day and maybe cause them to smile.

Every year when Christmas is past, I bundle the cards up and save them until the next year. One year, I made paper cones from them, then filled them with buttons for my quilting friends. I use them most for gift tags.

This card is from my friend, Lucy, who loves dogs more than any one I know.  Her card has a dog every year, and I love getting them.

My beautiful friend, Deidre, knows how much I love red birds!  Next year, I will cut the bird off the card to use as a gift tag.

JoAnn always finds the most unique cards.  Using these dangling stockings next year will be so easy.

I love them all, and can't bear to throw them away.  When I unpack them next year, it will be almost as fun as getting them the first time!