The Christmas Card Conundrum
I love going to the mailbox. Always have. Always will.
While it’s not fun to find bills and junk mail, I absolutely love receiving a handwritten letter, card or note. So, as we enter the season of sending Christmas cards, you better believe I am a bit giddy at the thought of what will arrive each day. I love to read updates from friends and family, but perhaps my favorite part is seeing the smiling faces of the people I love and their children as they go from being little ones to suddenly taller than their parents. (My family photo = case and point. I am 5’8” and my firstborn is 6’4”!)
And so enters the Christmas card conundrum. What is one to do with all these cards? Do you know how hard it is to put the face of a loved one in the trash can?! Yeah, no thanks. But what to do with them? I could stockpile them and gradually become a real-life episode of Hoarders. Also, no thanks.
Instead, we place a basket on the kitchen table. As cards are received, I open them, ooh and ahh over the beautiful faces, get teary-eyed at the ones I once held in my arms who are now full-blown adults (Who let that happen?!), and then I place the card in the basket. This way, the rest of the family can enjoy them at their leisure as well, and they are not a mess on the counter or wallpaper for the fridge.
But then what? How about starting a new tradition? Christmas Card Prayers — Each night at supper, draw a card from the basket and, as a family, pray for each person in the family from whom it came. This can be a simple prayer but also a meaningful way to honor those who thought of you and took the time to send you a warm holiday greeting.
I know. I know. That doesn’t solve the problem of the card pile-up. But this does…
I once had a student’s mother ask me for all of my Christmas cards; an odd request, I thought. Hesitantly, I passed them on to her, and the following week I received the most special keepsake. An ornament made entirely from the cards I’d provided. I received it teary-eyed and overwhelmed by the thoughtful treasure she had created.
Herein lies the solution to that card conundrum, so none goes by the wayside, ends up in the trash, or becomes the start of a hoarding habit.
Once you have prayed over the family on a Christmas card, place the card in an envelope until all have been prayed over and collected. As the season draws to a close, use the cards to create a unique ornament(s) that will hang on your tree for years to come. How? Check out these instructions from Better Homes and Gardens for one design.
Other ideas include cutting circles from the cards to create a garland for your tree or triangles to make a Christmas bunting that can hang across the mantle, like the ones found here.
No matter how you decide to solve the Christmas card conundrum, I hope those you receive bring with them joy, love, and reminders of the reason for the season - our Savior’s birth. May the joy of the season be with you every day!
With a grateful heart,
Sarah
