RICHMOND, California — My wife and I may have set a new Contra Costa County U.S. mail record. We sent 55 Hanukkah cards with real postage stamps to friends, relatives, and acquaintances. It was more fun than instant email cards.
But it gets rarer than that, which is why it may make the record unbreakable for a while. All the cards were recycled from previous years. They have been accumulating in the New Year, Passover, Hanukkah, Birthday, anniversary, and Valentine’s Day Card file drawer for decades. In 2020 it seemed metaphorically correct to import good cheer and hope from previous years.
We cut off the illustration and wrote greetings on the backside. We used recycled envelopes with white stickers covering the old addressees. The XXXOOOXXX came with a Post it with a COVID advisory on socially distant kissing and hugging.
And we included an unexplained gift, one mounting corner, that has been lying in the bottom of a desk drawer for maybe 50 years, the significance of which may be may be lost on younger recipients.
Sentiment stopped me from mutilating the cards from my parents and Karen’s parents.
*
Oliver B. Pollak, Ph.D., J.D., a professor emeritus of history at the University of Nebraska Omaha, and a lawyer, is a correspondent now based in Richmond, California. He may be contacted via oliver.pollak@sdjewishworld.com
Great idea! Thanks for the Hanukkah wishes!
Now if we can find a way to recycle my parents slides and photos!
Reg & Alyne ❤️