It’s not every day that we walk into a writing room. But here we get an insight into some of the most important things in the life of Gine Gaustad Anderssen. Writing and sending Christmas greetings is an old tradition in many countries. In Norway, we have been sending Christmas cards and letters for more than 120 years. But fewer and fewer sit down and do this job. Gine Gaustad Anderssen (43) has made herself a large and hot cup of tea. Thoughtfully, she went into the living room and pondered what she should write about. HÖGTIDSTUND: – Writing Christmas letters is one of the best things I do in life, says Gine Gaustad Anderssen. Photo: Øyvind Berge Sæbjørnsen / news Marked decline Figures from Posten show that in 2017, 10 million Christmas cards were sent in this country. This year, they think less than a third of this will be sent. – The decline has been around 20 per cent year on year in recent years, says Kenneth Pettersen, press manager at Posten. Write eighty letters to friends and acquaintances The Christmas letter writer in Tennfjord in Sunnmøre has a list of 80 names and addresses, which she crosses off as the Christmas letters are completed. In elegant handwriting, she writes about what has happened in the last year in the family. She has a husband and three children. – I feel that it is certainly old-fashioned to write such Christmas letters. My mother and grandmother did the same. But I think it’s important to think about each other. At the same time, this is quality time for me. When so many greetings are sent from Tennfjord far and wide, she also receives quite a few letters and cards herself. But she sees that many settle for a Christmas status on Facebook. – People must of course be allowed to do what they want with this. I’m just happy for the nice moments I get with pen and paper. Helsinki has gone digital At the post terminal there is chaos this morning. Many packages are going out to the people. But we hardly see any Christmas cards. – People probably send greetings in a different way. It is becoming more and more digital, says distribution manager Karen Gissinger. GET A CHRISTMAS CARD: The post van is full of advertising material and packages. Photo: Øyvind Berge Sæbjørnsen / news In the red car of post office Bendik Kvalvik, the advertising newspapers and parcels dominate. – When I started in 2011, there were piles of Christmas cards to sort in the run-up to Christmas. There is much less of that today. Has a bad conscience At the sports shop at Digerneset, Cato Slinning must admit that he does not write Christmas greetings. TRAVEL: Cato Slinning likes the tradition of Christmas greetings, but has no time to write himself. Photo: Tore Ellingseter / news – I have a bit of a bad conscience about it. I have to deal with busy days, with a full roll in the shop until Christmas Eve. But I really appreciated getting such greetings from people I know. Inside Gine Gaustad Anderssen’s warm writing room, thoughts run freely. The pen glides easily over sheet after sheet. She is attaching some family photos she has taken herself. Then she licks the envelope and writes the address. – This means a lot to me. I go on for hour after hour – in a busy time. But I love these moments when I can think about life and write to people who really mean something to me. NOT DIGITAL: Some send out mass-produced letters or messages on social media. Gine Gaustad Andreassen will do it in the same way as her mother and grandmother. Photo: Øyvind Berge Sæbjørnsen / news
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Fewer people send Christmas cards and Christmas letters – Gine Gaustad Anderssen writes 80 cards by hand – news Møre og Romsdal – Local news, TV and radio
