THE CHRISTMAS MAIL

Waikato Times, Volume 118, Issue 19763, 19 December 1935, Page 8

THE CHRISTMAS MAIL

A visit to the Post Office in town or country will afford evidence of the magnitude of the Christmas mail. It is not an unusual sight to see people walk in with an armful of parcels, and in the larger centres there is a constant stream of people posting cards and letters. Somewhere, within the next few days, these things will be delivered, and at once give rise to friendly thoughts, and possibly bring back memories of happy days and occasions. It is a custom, and a good custom. In many cases letters are exchanged only once a year, and invariably Christmas is the time chosen. Many returned soldiers write to old comrades each Christmas. They may not have met for years but they like to keep in touch in this way for the experiences of service abroad are a lasting tie. Their friendship was formed in dark days, and it meant so much that they cannot, and have no wish to, forget it.

But possibly no small part of the Christmas mail is despatched to the folk at home. The letters posted beginning “ Dear Mum,” or “ Dear Dad,” will certainly help to swell the mails, and it is a fine thing. It is not often possible for the members of a family to assemble. There is work that must be done, in holiday time as Avell as in the course of the daily round, but there is something cheering if those at home have evidence that the thoughts of the children, wherever they may be, are centred on the old home at Christmas time. The mails are heavy, and for the greater part they are happy. They are looked for with pleasure, stir memories that are cherished, and somehow give that assurance of affection or friendship that does much to make the season a festive one. Conditions change and fortunes vary, but the spirit of the Christmas mail is always the same.