Three Questions to Ask Before Sending Christmas Cards
Let’s talk about Christmas cards. If you want to send them out this year and have them arrive in time for Christmas, you’re probably starting to think about them now. Or you’re thinking about the fact that you should be thinking about them…
Christmas cards have been around for hundreds of years, although with the advent of email and the cost of postage going up, we seem to receive fewer and fewer of them each year. How do you feel about them?
Are they life-giving or life-draining? Do they help you celebrate the birth of Jesus?
There are things that are tedious and expensive that are also life-giving and worthwhile. And some people enjoy doing them because it’s a fun, creative outlet. But sometimes they’re just a chore that doesn’t need to be done. Which leads to the next question...
2. What’s your purpose in doing them?
Most of the cards that our family receives are accompanied by a letter about all the things that the family and kids have been doing. Child accomplishments, wonderful family vacations, and the work endeavors they’re involved in.
As I tried to follow the trend, my husband and I had one of those “aha” conversations. These letters were just a brag fest on our kids. Do the recipients really care about what my kids are doing? If we were close enough to the family we’re sending it to, they’re likely already familiar with our kids’ activities and any big life changes going on in our lives.
So what was really my reason for sending one out?
[…Crickets…]
They’re pretty, or they can be. I know people who love to make cards and they do it as a family project each year. It’s an act of love to create something beautiful for someone else and a fun way to celebrate the holiday. Great!
There’s no right or wrong answer. It’s just something to consider. The point is to be intentional about how you celebrate Jesus’ birth.
3. How can you make them both life-giving and a service of love to the recipient?
We decided to tweak our own Christmas card tradition. There’s nothing wrong with keeping in touch with friends and family and including a current picture. But we narrowed our list (postage is expensive!) and we tried to keep our letters more gospel centered. It’s tricky to do without preaching a sermon - people really aren’t interested in that, either. When we send Christmas cards, which we don’t always do, we try to not focus on all the sports and activities that our kids have been involved in, but rather on what God is doing in our lives. Christmas is one of the few (only?) times of year that talking about Jesus is remotely culturally acceptable. Why not take advantage of that as a way to share Jesus with your family and friends?
Get Below the Surface
What are the “under the surface” feelings and issues that reading other peoples’ letters bring up in you? Do you feel competitive? Like you need your kids to live up to what all these other families are doing? That you need to put on the same veneer of success? Do you struggle with feelings of inadequacy?
If you know Jesus as Savior, then you are competent in Him. There’s no one you need to please other than Him. He’s not impressed by how many sporting teams your kids are on, or how many academic awards they’re won or how great your husband’s job is. He’s not even impressed by how much you serve in church and do all the religious things. He’s impressed by your heart for Him and your desire to love and serve Him.
You’re not inferior to anyone else. All are equal at the foot of the cross. You are just as much an image bearer of God as the wealthy CEO and the dirty homeless person on the street. God loves you passionately. You are valuable because He created you. Rest in that. You don’t need to impress anyone else.
If you would like help journaling through some of the different issues that the Thanksgiving and Christmas season tends to bring up, download my “Journal Through the Holidays” guided journaling worksheets.