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We’ve all come to dread checking the mail. And not just when property taxes are due.

Most of the year, the only post we get is bills, which are depressing, or advertisements, headed straight for the trash. Our mailboxes, once filled with interest and promise, have become a breeding ground for junk.

Once a year, that changes. Yes, each day’s haul overflows with glossy printouts and holiday gift guides, but they’re also stuffed with photos and letters from friends and loved ones, a return to the joyful nostalgia of those days when the mail was our primary means of correspondence.

Cards with pictures of smiling faces show up in bright-colored envelopes, and lucky households gather a collection that can adorn entire doorframes — or refrigerators

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