Christmas card season is now over for another year, unless of course, some cards and greetings have been delayed in the mail system.
Canada Post had itself a busier-than-ever-before Christmas season, and our household, for one, wishes to thank postal workers for their efforts in ensuring that in-coming and out-going mail got delivered in an expeditious manner.
At the beginning of the card season, we figured, with the pandemic and all, that we wouldn’t receive enough cards and letters to fill the two strings that have been attached for decades across the back side of the kitchen cupboards. Those strings also showcase cards for other occasions throughout the year — dates like birthdays, Valentine’s Day, Easter, St. Patrick’s Day, anniversaries, sympathy and thank you notes.
Friends and relatives have long since stopped asking about the full strings, or why we keep our cards for a year’s time before recycling them. Those full strings serve as a reminder of our relationships, and by their presence, I never have to wonder where I stashed the Christmas cards before making a new list of recipients. There’s method in my supposed madness!
Thanks to Canada Post and in-person sources, the lines are full to overflowing but there seem to be several cards/notes/solicitations missing this year. I wonder if that is because of something we in our household might have said over the past year?
For instance, Premier Scott Moe apparently scratched us off his greeting card list this year. Others we know got cards from the man who promised to be a leader for all persons in Saskatchewan. Whether we voted for his party is immaterial. He is the premier of every one of us and therefore we sort of expected a card. It hasn’t arrived yet.
Nor did we receive a calendar/year-end greeting from the city’s two MLAs. This is the first time we haven’t been greeted with this message and we wonder what’s happened. Former MLA Warren Michelson always made sure we were on the list. Perhaps that list was misplaced as the new MLA took over. Maybe next year the list will be found and the omission corrected. Those calendars came in handy all year.
We didn’t expect to receive a card from the Prime Minister, his time being filled to capacity with COVID, federal debt, foreign relations, and all other matters that take his attention away from ordinary residents. He did wish everyone Merry Christmas and Happy New Year via television news conferences outside his front door. Thanks for that.
Nor did we receive any acknowledgment from our Member of Parliament.
The only greetings came to this household from Ryan Meili, provincial NDP leader, and Jagmeet Singh, leader of the federal NDP. Those two have kept in touch all through the year, and they have helpers who also find the time to write to us about the events of the day.
Unfortunately, the messages from Meili and Singh cannot be hung on our Christmas card strings. That’s why neither were on our card list. For that, apologies are extended.
As for the greetings we didn’t receive, there’s likely a reasonable explanation. Just don’t blame Canada Post!
Joyce Walter can be reached at ronjoy@sasktel.net
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the position of this publication.
