A little bit of soul

Another Christmas is upon us, and cards and letters abound. I think I've gotten just about every type of holiday card this year: e-cards, "dear all" letter reprints, photo cards, regular cards (with and without pre-printed signatures), texts and handwritten letters--and I even got a chocolate greeting card, a first. I'm sure it's not hard to guess which I prefer the most (no, it's not the chocolate), though I'm so grateful for them all. The handwritten notes are tops on my list, and while it certainly has a lot to do with my love of pens, that's not the sum of it. More likely it's because I feel like I'm getting a tiny and personal gift with each greeting: someone took the time to write and wish me well during this well-wishing time of year. Life, it seems, is becoming more and more about efficiency at the expense of the soul. Yes, it is much easier to mail en masse, email or even text a greeting, but the result is a bit austere. I prefer a simple straight-from-the heart handwritten line or two with all the messiness and character that goes with real ink on real paper. As I said, it's like receiving a very intimate little present. And I'm all about the presents. Happy holidays to you and yours.