To Inspire:

I will confess up front that I do not send many Christmas cards these days, just a handful to very faraway friends and very elderly aunts is about all I manage most years. But something I read this week has inspired me to get back to a longer card list.

Writer Peter Coy shared the idea of the importance of “weak ties.” This concept, from sociologist Mark Granovetter, says, “Weak ties between people have a “cohesive power” that strong ties lack. You have strong ties to a handful of people, but you have weak ties to many. It’s those weak ties that expose you to new ideas and facts. If you’re looking for a job, for example, you’re more likely to find one through a weak tie.” People who we have weak ties to are more likely to move in different circles and may have access to different information and ideas than our close “strong tie” people.

Your annual Christmas card list is likely full of weak ties. You’re probably not sending cards to those closest to you, the people you will most like see or talk to during the holiday season. Cards are going to former neighbors, school friends, and the aforementioned elderly relatives. While our card exchange has stopped, I traded holiday cards with a former co-worker for probably 20 years after we stopped working together, but did not once see her in person. That’s a weak tie!

And while these weak ties may one day help you in some way, that’s probably not why you send a card. You do it perhaps out of nostalgia, a melancholy about days past. Or you do it out of respect for family obligations or to let a lonely person know you’re thinking about them. Sometimes you might send a card just because you received one from someone who must think of you as a weak tie.

So I am motivated by the idea of the value of weak ties, and the desire to keep people in my life at some level. Of course, as I write this on December 13th, my box of Christmas cards is sitting unopened on my coffee table. Since Christmas really is right around the corner, I do need to sit down and spend a little time thinking about the people on my card list and sending off a wish for peaceful holidays. And if you’re like me, with cards unsent, this is your prompt to get your cards in the mail.

One last holiday note, as the season moves into high gear. The holiday season brings reminders of lost loved ones, making it emotionally challenging for many. So be gentle with friends and loved ones who may not want join in all the festivities and take time yourself to honor and celebrate those who are no longer here. Merry Christmas!

Written by Michelle O’Brien, Manager of Marketing & Communications

Source: Coy, Peter. Why I Still Send Holiday Cards – and You Should, Too. The New York Times.