How Slowing Down and Unplugging in 2020 Helped Me Make More Meaningful Connections
The art of the holiday card.
When I was a kid, my mother used to sit me down every year so we could write holiday cards to friends and family.
I often saw it as a chore, even though all I needed to do was sign my name on each card and, as I got older, write a one-sentence greeting: “Merry Christmas!” or “Hope you are well!”
But Mom insisted, just like she insisted I write out thank you cards for each and every gift.
I complained at that task, too, grousing that nobody would care what I had to say about this or that toy. It didn’t occur to me that these gifts were given and received not out of obligation but out of love.
A Family Tradition
Back in the days before the internet — yes, I know I’m dating myself —my mom and I would be excited to get letters in the mail from family members.
The two of us would sit at the dining room table after dinner, and she would carefully open up each letter to read aloud.
Handwritten on yellow legal pads or recycled copy paper (my grandfather hated to throw anything away, so he would write his…
