En ese momento me di cuenta de que las tarjetas no tienen género, ni edad, ni fronteras porque lo que importa no es a quién se entregan, sino el gesto mismo, la intención detrás de esa hoja de papel que lleva un trozo del corazón de quien la envía. Entendí que una tarjeta navideña es un símbolo de tomarse el tiempo para decirle a alguien que importa, sin importar quién sea. Pasó el tiempo y tuve hijos, a ellos, les enviaban a realizar tarjetas navideñas como manualidades en la escuela y cada vez que me pedían ayuda, estaba presto a colaborar con los diseños que tenía que llevar para sus amigos, aparte de las que después le hacían entrega a mi esposa y a mí también. Es decir, yo les ayudaba a diseñar, hasta con escarcha, una tarjeta que días después aparecería en la almohada de mi cama como muestra de cariño por parte de mis hijos.

Ahora, cada vez que escribo una tarjeta navideña para mis padres, mis suegros, mi esposa o mis hijos, incluso para mis amigos, pienso en ese momento, en ese puente del pasado que me permitió cambiar de perspectiva, en cómo un detalle tan pequeño puede romper ideas preconcebidas y abrir la puerta a una nueva forma de entender las relaciones humanas e interpersonales. Esa primera tarjeta en el trabajo (que por cierto aún conservo) no solo me enseñó sobre la Navidad en sí, sino que me mostró que los gestos sencillos que parecen insignificantes, pueden tener un impacto mucho mayor del que imaginamos.

Estuve averiguando acerca de la historia de las tarjetas navideñas y este es un resumen de lo que pude leer en varias páginas de Internet; les comparto:

En el siglo XIX, cuando la Navidad comenzaba a forjarse como la celebración que conocemos hoy, las tarjetas navideñas hicieron su debut. Todo comenzó con Sir Henry Cole, un hombre práctico y creativo que vivía en Londres, en el año de 1843, un año que marcó un antes y un después para esta tradición, Cole, un innovador que además ayudó a fundar el Museo Victoria & Albert, se encontró con un dilema: la creciente popularidad de enviar cartas durante las fiestas lo abrumaba, pues implicaba largas horas escribiendo notas personalizadas para familiares y amigos.

Con la ayuda del artista John Callcott Horsley, diseñó una solución que sería un gesto elegante y al mismo tiempo eficiente porque crearon la primera tarjeta de Navidad impresa, un pequeño rectángulo de cartón decorado con una ilustración central de una familia celebrando y un mensaje que leía: "A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to You". Vendidas por un chelín, estas tarjetas captaron rápidamente la atención de la clase alta, quienes valoraban tanto el arte como la practicidad.

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La idea se expandió con rapidez y medida que las técnicas de impresión mejoraban y los costos disminuían, las tarjetas navideñas pasaron de ser un lujo a un hábito común, por eso, a finales del siglo XIX, con la llegada de métodos de impresión más accesibles, como la cromolitografía, las imágenes se volvieron más coloridas, llenas de paisajes nevados, árboles decorados y niños sonrientes, consolidándose como un reflejo de la alegría navideña.

En América, esta tradición llegó un poco más tarde por la mano de Louis Prang, un inmigrante alemán establecido en Boston, conocido como el “Padre de la tarjeta navideña estadounidense”, introdujo sus versiones en la década de 1870, estos diseños destacaban por su elegancia y detalle y pronto se volvieron populares entre quienes buscaban enviar mensajes personalizados durante la temporada.

La comunicación de hoy sucede en instantes y los mensajes viajan más rápido que el parpadeo de los ojos, por eso, enviar una tarjeta navideña se convierte en un gran significado y a veces en un pequeño lujo muy barato, pero de gran valor sentimental al tratarse de un simple intercambio de buenos deseos, son un gesto que nos recuerda que hay cosas que los saludos alusivos a la fecha a través de tarjetas navideñas también pueden reemplazar a un correo electrónico o un mensaje instantáneo.

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Al enviarlas, demostramos cortesía y muchas cosas más porque quien escribe una tarjeta navideña toma un momento para pensar en la otra persona, en lo que significa, en los recuerdos compartidos o los vínculos construidos sin que esto sea una obligación mientras se plasma a mano o se elige con cuidado una imagen y un mensaje que, aunque sencillo, lleva detrás la intención de tocar el corazón de quien lo recibe porque hasta puede guardar de manera indefinida esa tarjeta decembrina.

Las tarjetas navideñas también son un símbolo que llama a la nostalgia (como pasa con esas maquinitas caseras de helados, donuts o algodón de azucar), pero que tienen su propia magia porque cuando se abre el sobre para leer se puede sentir sorpresa y calidez, tal cual se siente cuando se abre un regalo, son sensaciones que se pueden equiparar. Hoy, aunque las tarjetas digitales han ganado terreno, las físicas mantienen su encanto y secretos, de hecho, yo suelo comprarlas de materiales reciclados y a instituciones de beneficencia que las venden por temporada porque leer estas tarjetas y mirar cada detalle en ellas de manera cuidadosa genera sentimientos, recuerdos y acuerdos que se ven y también se pueden percibir.

Mi esposa dice que se trata de un acto que, como el espíritu de la Navidad misma, nunca pasa de moda... Lo creo, aunque, como la señorita Hila (@hilaricita) y muchas personas más en el mundo, yo tenga también mi lado de Grinch.

Ya los leo más tarde.

Chau.

🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺

ENGLISH VERSION:

How's it going, Blurt folks?

I am telling you the gossip that you are surely coming to read in my meditation cave:

When I was a kid, I always thought Christmas cards were something exclusively feminine. Maybe because I saw my mom and aunts exchange them, decorated with flowers or snowy landscapes, full of loving messages and cursive letters that seemed almost magical to me. I don't remember ever seeing my dad or my uncles receiving one, and that cemented the idea in my head: Christmas cards were for women, as if there was an implicit rule that limited their purpose in me because they didn't generate any feelings other than curiosity every time I saw them.

That idea stayed with me for years... in college, even when I started working and was married to Marcela, but we didn't have children yet, cards were still something I saw between friends, sisters, cousins, mothers and daughters, etc., and never as a gesture that transcended gender, but everything changed the day when, during a game of secret Santa at the office, I was given my first Christmas card. It was a coworker, someone with whom I had a cordial relationship, but nothing particularly close, nothing beyond a greeting and questions about projects at the construction company. When I opened the envelope, I found a brief and sincere message, full of good wishes for the coming year. It was nothing ostentatious, but it was genuine enough for me to feel something different, much more than what I felt with the gift that accompanied that card.

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At that moment I realized that cards have no gender, no age, no borders because what matters is not who they are given to, but the gesture itself, the intention behind that piece of paper that carries a piece of the heart of the person who sends it. I understood that a Christmas card is a symbol of taking the time to tell someone that they matter, no matter who it is. Time passed and I had children, they were sent to make Christmas cards as crafts at school and every time they asked me for help, I was ready to collaborate with the designs that they had to take to their friends, apart from the ones that they later gave to my wife and me as well. That is, I helped them design, even with glitter, a card that days later would appear on the pillow of my bed as a sign of affection from my children.

Now, every time I write a Christmas card for my parents, my in-laws, my wife or my children, even for my friends, I think about that moment, about that bridge of the past that allowed me to change my perspective, about how such a small detail can break preconceived ideas and open the door to a new way of understanding human and interpersonal relationships. That first card at work (which I still have, by the way) not only taught me about Christmas itself, but it showed me that simple gestures that seem insignificant can have a much greater impact than we imagine.

I was researching about the history of Christmas cards and this is a summary of what I was able to read on various Internet pages; I share with you:

In the 19th century, when Christmas was just beginning to take shape as the celebration we know today, Christmas cards made their debut. It all began with Sir Henry Cole, a practical and creative man living in London, in 1843, a year that marked a turning point for this tradition. Cole, an innovator who also helped found the Victoria & Albert Museum, found himself faced with a dilemma: the growing popularity of sending letters during the holidays overwhelmed him, as it involved long hours writing personalized notes to family and friends.

With the help of artist John Callcott Horsley, he designed a solution that would be an elegant gesture and at the same time efficient because they created the first printed Christmas card, a small cardboard rectangle decorated with a central illustration of a family celebrating and a message that read: "A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to You." Sold for a shilling, these cards quickly caught the attention of the upper class, who valued both art and practicality.

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The idea spread quickly and as printing techniques improved and costs decreased, Christmas cards went from being a luxury to a common habit. Thus, at the end of the 19th century, with the arrival of more accessible printing methods, such as chromolithography, the images became more colorful, full of snowy landscapes, decorated trees and smiling children, consolidating themselves as a reflection of Christmas joy.

In America, this tradition arrived a little later by the hand of Louis Prang, a German immigrant established in Boston, known as the “Father of the American Christmas card”, who introduced his versions in the 1870s. These designs stood out for their elegance and detail and soon became popular among those looking to send personalized messages during the season.

Today's communication happens in moments and messages travel faster than the blink of an eye, so sending a Christmas card becomes a great meaning and sometimes a small, very cheap luxury, but of great sentimental value as it is a simple exchange of good wishes. They are a gesture that reminds us that there are things that greetings alluding to the date through Christmas cards can also replace an email or an instant message.

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By sending them, we show courtesy and many other things because the person writing a Christmas card takes a moment to think about the other person, about what it means, about the shared memories or the bonds built without it being an obligation while writing by hand or carefully choosing an image and a message that, although simple, carries behind it the intention of touching the heart of the person receiving it because they can even keep that December card indefinitely.

Christmas cards are also a symbol that calls for nostalgia (as happens with those homemade ice cream, donut or cotton candy machines), but they have their own magic because when you open the envelope to read it you can feel surprise and warmth, just like you feel when you open a gift, they are sensations that can be compared. Today, although digital cards have gained ground, physical cards maintain their charm and secrets. In fact, I usually buy them from recycled materials and from charities that sell them seasonally because reading these cards and looking carefully at each detail in them generates feelings, memories and agreements that can be seen and also perceived.

My wife says that it is an act that, like the spirit of Christmas itself, never goes out of style... I believe this, although, like Miss Hila (@hilaricita) and many other people in the world, I also have my Grinch side.

I'll read them later.

Bye.

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