Modern Political Collections of the South Caroliniana Library is continuing a Yuletide tradition it started about 10 years ago by displaying holiday season cards sent to members of the South Carolina Congressional delegation.

This year’s exhibit of cards will showcase those sent in 2003 to U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham. The cards are in three cabinets on the first-floor lobby of the library through Jan. 15.

“We do this exhibit every year, trying to keep in mind cards we think people would be interested in,” said collections curator Dorothy Hazelrigg.

Added Kate Moore, the collections’ processing archivist who worked on the exhibit with Hazelrigg, “This is a great idea for an exhibit during the holidays because the cards are so cheerful and everyone seems to enjoy seeing them.”

This year’s exhibit will include cards sent in 2003 by the president and vice president, as well as the 2004 card sent by University President and First Lady Andrew and Donna Sorensen.

The cards reflect a wide variety of designs and senders, ranging from Congressional colleagues to industry groups, educational organizations, and governmental entities.

They draw on family photos, children’s drawings, and photos of homes, buildings, and industries, and scenes of foreign countries. Some of the cards have religious themes; others tout companies or groups. One expresses a sentiment: Santa Claus throwing pieces of coal at terrorists from his reindeer-drawn sled.

Photos of family gatherings appear on many of the cards sent by politicians, including weddings and other occasions where multiple generations of well-known individuals’ families are pictured in groups. “It’s always fun to look at pictures of public people you see on TV in a family setting,” said Hazelrigg, noting family pictures of North Carolina’s Sen. John Edwards, Arizona’s Sen. John McCain, and Utah’s Sen. Orrin Hatch.

The exhibit will feature one display case of cards from Congressional and Senatorial colleagues, along with those of President and Mrs. Sorensen and Gov. and Mrs. Mark Sanford. A second case will include cards with views of Washington, D.C., while a third case will hold interesting Yuletide greetings from other miscellaneous groups and individuals.

“We’ve tried to pick a variety of cards, including those from well known people that will be easily recognizable, or interesting and unique cards the public is not likely to see anywhere else,” Hazelrigg said.

Caroliniana Library is open from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday, and from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday.

For more information about the greeting cards exhibit, call 7-0577.

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