Letter: Job as a postie was what gave me the Christmas card habit

I cannot remember the last time (or actually, the first time) an article in the FT made my eyes well with tears but Laura Noonan’s recollections of her Christmas holiday job at Next in Dublin got me (“Nothing says ‘Christmas’ like the festive buzz of a holiday job”, Notebook, December 15).

Like her, I have intense memories of my Christmas job — a Christmas postie with the Royal Mail. Each Christmas for three years I braved everything the weather could throw at me, the very lively atmosphere of the sorting office and an intriguing variety of letterboxes to deliver enormous sacks of cards to the residents of my home town.

The camaraderie among my fellow student posties, the “personal best” time challenges and the “after shift” drinks made returning each year an essential part of my Christmas.

Witnessing the joy created by receiving a card from a loved one in a far-flung location also turned me into a conscientious Christmas card writer.

A habit which in the age of social media and concerns around sustainability feels increasingly outdated but one that the recipients still seem to value.

And with the last posting dates for Christmas delivery looming, it’s back to the pile of cards . . .

Julie Mortimer
Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, UK