Mail swaps
Thanks to everybody who responded. I want to reassure you that I know that the holidays are a busy time, and that I’m not telling Emily that she’s getting anything, so it will be a surprise when she does. This means that if you flake or have to drop out, you won’t be crushing the hopes and dreams of an eight-year-old child.
Today I sent all the foreign money people have passed along to Emily’s school. I’ll post about that later. But as I was going through my top drawer looking for the Spanish peseta from my high school trip to Spain, I ran across some items which are pertinent to the “mailing stuff to kids” conversation.
This is a letter that my mom wrote me. I was four years old, and she had been sent by the newspaper she worked for to a workshop at Columbia. She was the first woman editor at the newspaper, and she really did have to go. I was staying with family friends, and she very sweetly wrote me several letters. As you can see, they meant a lot to me and I kept them.
This is a card that my dad wrote me. I was fourteen years old and at music camp at Pfeiffer college. Like all of junior high school, it wasn’t exactly the time of my life. The music part was great, but my roommate was a holy terror. One day she stole my room key and claimed she didn’t have it. I stuck to her like glue, silently, not accusing, until she finally gave it back. My folks didn’t know all that – I imagine my parents would have been kicking some butt if they had known – but Dad knew I was away from home and not happy, and he very sweetly sent me this card. As you can see, it meant a lot to me and I kept it.
This is a return envelope that my mother sent with me so that I could write home while I was away at Girl Scout camp. Camp wasn’t awful, but it wasn’t choirs of angels singing either. It probably made me a better person, so I’m glad I went. As you can see, the stamp is uncancelled. That’s right. My parents went to all this trouble, and then I never wrote. Bad daughter, bad!
Anyway, sorry about that, Mom and Dad.
Point is, we all flake out from time to time, so don’t stress to much if you’ve overcommitted yourself this holiday season.
Today, finishing up a Jayne hat for Rochester, NY, then stamping boxes and other assorted Jaynework. My life is all about mail now!