Wooden Christmas cards a keepsake tradition for Wadsworth family
WADSWORTH, Ohio (WJW) – A Christmas card is always a welcome sight to see when you pick up the mail. Most are paper, some have family pictures, some have glitter.
While these do a great job of spreading holiday cheer around Christmas, few can compare to the magic created by Roy Myers’ wooden Christmas cards.
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Myers’ hands have been busy for most of his list life. At 78, Myers is long retired from a 48-year career in TV news in Cleveland. Nowadays, he does what he can to keep busy — mainly woodworking.
“I’m almost 80 years old, and I love what I do,” Myers said. “And I’m just happy to do it.”
The wood Myers is working on isn’t for something he would call work, or even a project. Every year he and his family, including his kids and grandkids, create keepsake Christmas cards made of wood.
“A Christmas card to me is something that comes from the heart,” Myers said. “You put some time and thought into it.”
It begins with Myers’ father Elmer Myers, who made wooden reindeer for Roy and his four sisters. That special feeling on Christmas motivates Myers to make Christmas magic for others. He and his significant other Shelia Smith plan for this year-round.
“I don’t consider it work,” he said. “When you love something, it’s not work. I truly enjoy working with wood, and you think about why you’re making it; what joy it’s going to bring somebody.”
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Roy started making Christmas cards more than three decades ago, a simple order of six for his family. But over the years, his Christmas list has expanded to include 50 family members and close friends, which he and Smith hand-deliver each year. He even created a Christmas card for FOX 8 News.
“It’s just special,” Myers said. “Christmas is a special time of the year for most people. And I hope that these cards bring a little enjoyment to them, and I know it does to us. And I hope that your family at Channel 8 gets some enjoyment out of it.”
They aren’t available for purchase by the public because they take quite a long time to create. But Myers encourages others to adopt this tradition, crafting a Christmas card to make the holidays even more special for loved ones.
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