Shellys commentary: Seasons greetings — reflecting on Christmas letters
Our inquiry into the subject of letter writing began innocently enough, when we were reflecting on the subject of “Christmas letters.” We were soon deep into the history of letter writing and all its complexities and changes over time. For thousands of years, letters have been essential and necessary to human communication, but now the act of letter-writing is often thought of as a quaint, old-fashioned practice, an inefficient use of time, and a much too slow response in an age of instant replies.
Yet there are so many reasons to continue writing a personal letter: It is something tangible, involves creativity, promotes mindfulness and reflection, reinforces human connections, makes for slower, intentional communication. We can all think of those times, when a letter meant everything to us, especially at Christmas.
It is true that the number of letter writers is shrinking, but if we are honest and will admit it, we know there is something special about writing and receiving a letter, particularly when we think of what went into it. It is not a quick activity. Letters don’t just happen. Time has to be set aside and the letter has to be composed, which involves reflection and thought as to language, words, and legibility. These days, most of our letters are not handwritten, but computer generated. The important thing, however, is that all the factors we mentioned still go into the process.
The first Christmas letters were written hundreds of years ago, but the Christmas letters, as we know them, became popular after WWII, when people were moving from their hometowns all across the country. Thanks to copy machines and at-home printers, it has become easier to send them, and approximately 65% of Americans will send Christmas letters or cards during the holiday season. Each letter will be unique to that family, but there will also be noticeable similarities in topics.
A 2018 article in the Smithsonian Magazine pointed out that “the internet should have put an end to this oddly fascinating custom of sending a Christmas letter.” “Who needs a once-a-year family-fun marketing report, when Facebook and Instagram can update friends and strangers every minute? But compared with social media’s beeping, hectoring fragments, a printed letter arriving in the mail - the stamp cost a half a dollar (now sixty cents!)!! sent from an actual place!! complete sentences!! touched by an actual person!! a real signature!! - now seems like a precious human document, as valuable as an ancient papyrus.” It should be noted, that since people seem to have a love/hate relationship with Christmas letters, the person sending the letter must understand that it will be filtered through the receiver’s experiences, thoughts, and feelings, and leave it at that.
We sent our first Christmas letter in 1964. We send our letters to people, who share a history with us and with whom we want to stay in contact and simply keep in our lives. In turn, we anticipate receiving their letters and taking a time-out to read them. In that moment of sharing and reading, we reconnect. That is what Christmas letters do.
For us, the Christmas letters are a chronicle of our life as a family. This year we re-read them all – 58 years of family history. Historians and archivists gain insight into our nation’s story through the Christmas letters, and we do the same with our family’s story. Sometimes the letters have been about our travels and big-life family events, but more often than not, they have been about friendship, or how COVID social distancing felt, about work and then retirement, about the anxiety we have felt in our recent political environment, or how this thing called “aging” is going, and about health and loss and gratitude, all those things that give life to our lives. The thing about Christmas letters, even if they happen only once a year, is that they are a real attempt to maintain our human connections. If you have never written a Christmas letter, it is a great time of the year to reach out to others and to reconnect or connect for the first time.
Our Christmas letter is always wrapped around the message of Christmas and often ends with a quote. This year, we are ending with this thought: “…I wish you more, much more, than merriment, all faith and hope and love and holy peace, all quietness and radiant content with blessings that continuously increase, and when I say the simple, small words, ‘I wish you Christmas,’ I have wished you all.”
Walter Shelly retired after 40 years as a professor of political science at West Texas A&M University. Linda Shelly retired after 33 years of teaching sociology at West Texas A&M University and Amarillo College.
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Shellys commentary: Seasons greetings — reflecting on Christmas letters
