With the winter holidays right around the corner, do teen these days really have the time, and more importantly, the will to send out handwritten cards to celebrate the holidays or wish a happy new year?

Feeling the crunch of finals in early December usually sets most students off from doing anything besides studying and occasionally sleeping.

But once all that has passed, many of them will expecting cards in their mailboxes. But will any of them sent them out?

They might be a hassle, and yes, it’s one more thing that has to get done over that precious winter break, but getting a personal note adds a little spring to anyone’s step.

Taking time out of a busy schedule, and maybe relaxing a little, to write out cards is as good as any present under the Christmas tree.

Some would assume that most teens view cards as a waste of paper, something that your parents make you do and you put off to the very last possible minute. However, senior Maivy Nguyen has always thought that personalized and handwritten cards win out over e-mails, quick phone calls and indefinite procrastinating.

“Handwritten cards are always a good thing to do,” Maivy said. “When the person you’re sending it to gets your card in the mail, it makes their day better.”

Senior Valerie Tam writes cards as thank you’s for smaller gifts and things her friends give her, but when it comes to writing them for a lot of people during the holidays, “I start to procrastinate on them.”

But she doesn’t think they are a waste of time.

“People like to be thank you’d, even if they don’t show it,” Valerie said.

Teens in this modern age are finding less and less drive and time to send out cards. But what about those of us on the receiving end of a possible card? How are we adapting to this modern age full of e-mails and text messages?

Senior Rusty Haron-Feiertag believes that handwritten cards still hold value, but that “they’re increasingly not expected and thus I feel less incentive to do them.”

It could be true that we no longer expect to see thank you cards in the mailboxes along with holiday sale catalogues and magazines, but that should give us all the more incentive to write them to the people on our holiday lists.

Everyone likes a little recognition now and then, and especially during the holidays we could all use a little rest, relaxation and recognition that we are being valued as friends and family.

If we all wait for cards to come in the mailbox, no one will ever end up sending them out in the first place.

Giving the gift of a smile is not a chore, but a privilege. When a card is opened after the holidays, or even in May, for those of us who may take a longer time to sit down and write, the appreciation we show is a gift within itself. The power of a letter is still going strong, even in the modern days of e-mail, text messages and cell phone calls.

Write cards and letters to your loved ones this year, not as a last resort, but as a nice thing to do. Who knows; maybe you’ll receive even more next year.