One friend I worked with a decade ago sent me an e-mail to say Merry Christmas, because she’s just moved house and can’t be doing with yet another stratum of clutter. This led to an exchange of five or six long messages, during which I found out loads about how she and her family were doing, shared our news and a few photos, gossiped about old times and talked her through what it means that one of her kids has been out on the SEN register at school. I have nothing to put on the mantelpiece, but I feel 10 times closer to her than I did at the start of December.
By contrast I've received any number of “physical” cards which contain nothing but a set of names, possibly with a “best wishes” if you’re lucky, or “we must meet up in the new year” even though both parties have been saying that since 2002. What's the point? To assure people you used to know that you're not dead?
Even worse are the impersonal cards where the scribe doesn't even bother to write your name apart from on the envelope. These annoy me so much I'm tempted to put them straight in the recycling bin. If you can't be bothered to write my name, do you really care whether I have a happy Christmas or not?
I’m tempted to cull the list next year. My best friend from Suffolk, the midwife who delivered me, ancient aunts - yes, they can gladly have a handwritten card, complete with letter. People to whom I've never anything to say, I shall cut, and those who fall somewhere in the middle - the Christmas ecard awaits you in 2014!
This made me laugh very true
ReplyDeleteCor, that was quick. You survived another school Christmas dinner then!
ReplyDeleteI got a really awfully designed card with a horse on it the other day, from an old railway colleague, saying long time no see, do you fancy a drink over Christmas. Well, excellent. That's the purpose of real cards. Do it out of almost a selfishness, that you *want* to contact the other person. I rang him tonight and said that's a top card (despite the horse) and we're going out for a drink on 27th or 28th I thnk.
ReplyDeleteI think your story about your ex-colleague shows that when people want to get in touch and reconnect they will, and it doesn't matter the medium. Like my railway friend. Trouble with real cards is that they're just sent now out now out of form to every bloody loony you've ever worked with.
Happy Christmas to you and J--it's been fab, really excellently fascinating over many years. I love your posts--you've got this mix of irritation, erudition, kindness and impatience that I find readable that far surpasses your competitors in the Guardian. I won't mention the fact that on the one occasion I met you I thought you were really fit because that would be a vulgar reduction of our online relationship to a base and sexist visual evaluation.
But you have got nice legs.
Signed
Your Friend In The North
and that's my ecard X
That's a really, really lovely comment Looby and I don't know what to say except thank you! This blog (esp the Chronicle posts) is written for a certain audience and I wasn't sure how you'd react to it having known me in several blogging incarnations over the last 8/9 years.
ReplyDeleteSee, this is an example of how technology's brilliant - we may have only met once, and have different views on many subjects, but I definitely count you as a friend. Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and long may Loobynet continue!
And that's yours. X
Just to let you know I've read and love it. X
ReplyDelete