Merry Christmas Cards

These boxes have been in the foyer at the church building for several weeks now. I couldn't get a picture that encompassed all of them, because they do cover the whole alphabet. What are they for? Well, they're for Christmas cards. What? Yes. If you'd like to send Christmas cards to someone at church, just drop them into the box with the letter that starts their last name. The teenagers will sort them all into bags with that family's name on it. They can be picked up starting next Sunday. Isn't this an amazing tradition? Even last year, when our family had only been members for about a month, we got a bag full of cards just for us. 
I sent out a stack of Christmas cards all over, too. To aunts and uncles, an occasional cousin who stays closer than others, old college friends, and people we've moved away from. The list changes a bit each year, growing or shrinking. Some people are removed because they're no longer on this earth. Some drop off for other reasons. Others are added in their place. At the post office over the last few weeks, as I'm mailing packages, I see others dropping their cards in the slots, and it makes me happy. The tradition is not completely dead, even though we seem to receive less and less each year. Fewer newsy notes and updated pictures of children come our way, thanks to Facebook and other social media making them unnecessary. Yet, the romantic in me loves the tradition, so I'll keep it up as long as I can.
What about you? Is it worth it to order cards, buy special Christmas stamps, and take the time to address each envelope, just to know you made someone's day miles away? Have you given up and gone to simply keeping up electronically? What traditions do you keep holding on to even if they're not as necessary any more?