Taking the time

“A card written with care is a gift of a piece of yourself, and sometimes its value will never even be known by the sender”


Speaker's Corner
Denise Horan

WHEN I took over as editor here, the man whose shoes I took on the task of never filling, but of using as a kind of star-of-Bethlehem guide, passed on lots of useful advice and information. Look out for this, beware of that, be measured in your approach to this, take time before making a decision about certain things. He told me too of some of the characters I would encounter: some flamboyant, the odd one potentially awkward, but the majority of them decent.
Mostly, though, he let me find things out for myself…and the journey of discovery continues every day.
One of the most pleasant surprises in those first few months came a couple of weeks before Christmas, when I opened a card one day and discovered it was from none other than the President herself, Mary McAleese. Presumably she sends festive cards to the editor of every newspaper in the country, and to hundreds of other people she doesn’t know, but I was kinda chuffed all the same. A card from the President of Ireland. With the official Presidential stamp and everything.
Three Christmasses later, I recognise the envelope now, and no longer smile in wide-eyed wonder at the card for an age when I open it. I still appreciate its symbolism; its message that I am of no greater importance than anyone who doesn’t get a card from the Áras, but that I have a public duty to perform and I must always carry it out responsibly.
Other cards matter more though. And having just written and posted a batch of my own today, I hope the ones I’ve invested my time in matter a little to those who receive them. I know the ones I receive – apart from those that have scanned signatures and no personal messages – have meaning to me.
Card-giving may be a ritual, but rituals aren’t all bad, nor is it necessary for them to consist merely of going through the motions. A card written with care and craft is a gift of a piece of yourself, and sometimes its value will never even be known by the sender. But by the receiver it will be treasured.
Christmas being the season of goodwill and all that, cards are expected, but it’s also the season of stress and craziness, so card-scribbling often becomes a casual, at best, or tedious, at worst, exercise at this time of year. Which kind of misses the point really. We don’t send thank you cards, good luck cards, sympathy or congratulatory cards without putting some kind of thought into the message we write. That’s what makes them special. So the words contained in the Christmas variety should bear some meaning too. Granted, it’s not easy to find something personal and thoughtful to say to all 75 people you might have to write to, but just taking the time to mention the name of a family member, or remember a kind deed during the year can make it a little bit special. Even choosing the sign-off line that best suits the person to whom it is addressed, or best reflects the nature of the relationship that exists between you and that person, displays thoughtfulness.
For those who don’t believe in the whole Christmas card thing, maybe a conversion could be attempted this festive season. In the last decade, when money was so plentiful that presents became more extravagant with each passing year, cards seemed unnecessary to some. Really, they are a gift that should never be undervalued. That someone takes of their time to write a personal message matters more than someone giving of their wealth to buy an expensive present.
Some card-writers are natural-born wordsmiths whose rhythmic enunciations read like Shakespearean sonnets. But don’t be put off. Must of us don’t have those bardic skills, and it’s not the level of eloquence that matters but the depth of the sentiment expressed. Cards can lift, reassure and soothe; they can convey love, sorrow and regret; they can bring families closer and repair battered friendships. They can sometimes say things that the human voice can’t muster.
Write some cards this Christmas. Presents can be taken or left, but thoughts always count.