Be A Mail Box Angel for the Holidays!

Be a Mail Box Angel for the Holiday Season -- Marge shows you how to remember your postal friends, homebound folks, find new tuck-ins for your Christmas Cards and lots more!

By Marjorie L Sallee, KS

When snowflakes swirl outside and holiday baking fills the inside air with unbelievable fragrance, pen pals often wonder how they can show some special holiday spirit and brighten the holidays for friends and family.

We all recognize a special mailbox angel that brings a special joy to the season and makes our days brighter. I'm not really an expert on being a mailbox angel, but I do have a few inexpensive ideas that might work for you. Was that a tinkling of joy I heard just then?

First, do something special for the postman, especially if he's served you for several years. Greet him at the door with a few home made cookies. Give him a warm pair of socks to keep his feet warm as he trudges through the snow and cold. I don't think it's crass to put a crisp bill into a special envelope for him either. IF he does special things for you throughout the year, try to show your appreciation by letting him know once a year how much those favors mean to you Did that put a halo above your head? Are you feeling a little angelic yet?

During the months of November and December, vow to write only about cheerful, upbeat topics. Many people have a hard time coping during the holidays especially if they have lost a loved one or suffered a serious illness. You don't have to be a Pollyanna, but you can certainly focus on things that are cheerful, fun, and humorous to share. Remember "'Tis the season to be jolly." If you are doing Christmas letters, try to make them sound as personal as possible. Try not to sound as if you are performing a chore but sharing your year with good friends. Oh, look, you've a little golden harp in your hands!

Find some good tuck-ins to put into your Christmas cards. Do you have a favorite tea? Send a tea bag to a friend. Bookmarks are always lovely. Enclose a note card which invites someone to write to you when life slows down after the holidays. Make a friendship booklet for a special friend. Remember to make these small enough that they will circulate in a matter of months and not years. Send a page of stickers to someone who uses them. The list of possibilities is endless. If you have lots of time, decorate the envelopes with rubber stamps or stickers. Oh my! I do believe you've sprouted wings!

If you ask me, the best gift is always a friendly letter or note. Find some pretty holiday paper. Use a colorful ink but choose a color that provides contrast with the paper and is easy to read. Try your hand at some poetry -- even four lines of something you created will please a special friend. I think I hear the tinkling of angel bells in the background. Is that sound coming from you?

Remember someone who is in a nursing home or who hasn't a lot of visitors. Remember a serviceman who can't get home for the season. Dear Abby usually prints the address to which you can send these letters. Be watchful. Be alert that there are so many lonely people who would love to hear from you. Send a treat to them. What a splendid white robe you have acquired. Where did you get that gorgeous gold sash?

See how easy it is to become a mailbox angel? I wouldn't be surprised if you aren't a mailbox angel all year long.
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Marge wrote her first pen pal letter when she was 11 years old. That was over 50 years ago. She is a retired school teacher, a mother of three grown children and six grandchildren.