Movin’ On:
When Lee, my fifth-grade boyfriend, moved, we didn’t think to exchange addresses. He was gone. That was that.
When I graduated from high school, I assumed I’d see my high school friends again—as long as they came back home for the summer or attended our reunions. And most of them did.
Graduating from college was different. We were eager to get on with our lives, and before some of us got around to exchanging addresses, we were off, scattered across the country. I’m still in contact with some college friends, but I wonder what happened to a couple of sometime-boyfriends and to some old roommates. Madeleine, Annie, and Gail, I’m talking about you.
You can always make new friends.
When you move to a new neighborhood, a new city, a new country, you can always make new friends. And you do.
But what about those old friends you left behind? Maybe you’ll find them on social media. Or maybe after a while you’ll forget them altogether. Or you might remember them, but just the way they were back in the day.
Like Lee, who in my memory is still ten years old.
Christmas cards
On the other hand, you could save a bit of your friendship with a Christmas card. Or a friendly Christmas letter. I prefer the cards.
How about you? Do you still send Christmas cards?
I send and receive fewer cards each year . . . so it’s no longer a holiday tradition with much traction.
Since we just moved, I’ll have to make an effort to make new friends. It’s harder when you’re out of the workforce and not inclined to attending church on Sundays. 😀
Like you, I send and receive fewer cards each year. But I keep holding on to this difficult but delightful old custom.
I hope you’re settling in comfortably in your new home. I’m sure you’ll make new friends there.
I agree with you. You can always make new friends wherever you go. I don’t keep in touch with most of my high school or university friends, except for a handful and we are close. Over the years we have caught up in person whenever we are in the same town. I don’t send cards and it was something I never really did. I did exchange letters with friends many years back.
As the others have said, there is social media to keep in touch and send greetings. With social media I feel I can message my friends whenever I like and no pressure to meet up in person unless we are both up for it. And we can reply when it suits – which works out well as a lot of my friends are in different time zones compared to where I am.
You mention some of the many ways we keep in touch with old friends. We’re busy with our current lives, but, in some way or other, we can also remember people we used to know. Why? I don’t know. We live only in the present moment. The past is gone, and we can’t know the future. And yet, we like to speculate and remember. Life is richer that way.
The number of cards I send out and receive is dwindling rapidly. I noticed a particularly large fall off during the Covid lockdown which made sense in the circumstances, but the numbers never recovered afterwards which I thought they would.
Mine are currently sitting on my desk unwritten. With the unexpected notice given on our rental property, we’re not feeling at all festive – so I suspect very few will end up being sent at all, and I’ll pack these for use next year. I’ve not used social media for festive greetings, but probably will do so for this year, at least.
Have a lovely Christmas Nicki 🙂
Oh, dear! I’m sorry about the unexpected notice on your rental property. You have a good reason for not sending out cards this year. We just have to give some years permission to be different. Actually, I remember rather fondly a very different celebration of Thanksgiving. The first year of COVID, I ordered a turkey dinner for one and gave the restaurant a call from the sidewalk so they could deliver it to me there. Then I ate it alone at home. Why do I say fondly? I guess because that was a part of history. Besides, the dinner was good, and I didn’t have to bake the turkey.
Last year was my last year sending cards except for two people who treasure them. It just seemed like too much time and work when they are not valued like they used to be. I’m not in contact with any school friends. My old friends are from the first place I worked and I haven’t seen them for a long time. My friends now are neighbors and mostly new within the past few years. I often wonder about my high school friends. My bestie died about 10 years ago but the other one is still living in the area (at least I think).
My high school is probably an unusual situation. Many graduates either stayed in the area or moved back, so we have frequent picnics and lunches. Twenty years ago or more, one of my classmates took it upon himself to keep track of everyone, so I have up-to-date contact information for everyone.
I send out more Christmas cards than I receive. Still, it’s nice to hear from a few people. So far, I’ve received a couple of cards and messages from college friends, friends from the Philippines and Vanuatu, and in-laws.
I still send them but none to grade school friends although I still wonder what happened to Myron Bradulph who threw up all over me in the 2nd grade!
Oh, dear! Maybe Myron is best forgotten.
I’ve kept in touch with most of my close friends from college and high school, and I’ve been tracked down by various exboyfriends on social media. I stopped sending cards once I lost my grandmother and other relatives who aren’t on social media. Though I do like the cards, it seems a waste of trees and postage when you have texting and Facebook.
Social media is a good way to keep in touch … for those who use the same social media. There are so many to choose from these days.
Beautiful cards! I send a few Christmas cards. I keep up with some undergrad friends. Mostly, I keep up with graduate school friends, because some are in my critique group.
Hope you have a wonderful Christmas, Nicki!
That’s great that you have a critique group from Vermont College. I lost touch with all but one of my classmates.