Keeping Christmas: As For Me and My House
For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?Isaiah 9:6
For me, one of the most special things to do during the holidays is to send Christmas cards.? It became important to me when I began to grow in my relationship with the Lord as a new wife and mother.? I realized I had an opportunity to share the meaning of Christmas through my letters to all those in my life (near and far) in a very simple and nonthreatening way.? I wanted my cards to honor Christ and introduce others to Him while reminding everyone of the ?Reason for the Season.?
Now I know for some, Christmas cards are just too overwhelming to tackle, but that is why we are starting early.? Many of us have great intentions to send out cards/pictures every year, but then we get the pictures taken and never send them, order the cards and never address them, or wait too late to do either.? Yes, I have done each of these things listed!
So, my purpose is to help us take this step by step while first and foremost, honoring our Lord throughout the process.? Along the way we want to be prayerful that it blesses the home and family in whose hands it arrives.
Things to consider:?
- Pray first to see if this is something you should do, taking into consideration your budget, time and priorities during the holiday season.
- Decide if you will send only a card/letter, send a picture, or both.
- You will need to begin to gather all your addresses now.
- If you are really tech savvy, then put them into an excel spreadsheet or update your spreadsheet.? This takes a lot of work now, but it is worth it when you can print the labels with each address on them.? You will only need to update the list each year, adding and deleting and changing addresses as necessary.
- Ideally, we want to mail them the first week of December.? To accomplish that goal, we will need to do the following:
Taking a picture ?To-Do? List:
- Decide on the budget you have to spend on the cards, taking into account the cost of photographs, cards, paper, labels and stamps.
- Decide if you will take the picture yourself (choose a location), have a professional photographer come to you or go to a studio.
- Make an appointment time.? Keep in mind that you need to have a backup time/plan in case someone is sick or if the weather is bad (if an outside picture).
- Plan your wardrobe.? Do you have things in your closet that will work all together?
Supplies:
- Picture card or card
- Address list in excel spreadsheet
- Labels to print addresses
- Return address labels
- Stamps?buy self-sticking
- Christmas letter
Ordering your cards:
- Design them yourself via a website, or with the help of a photography studio or a local store once you get the pictures back.
- Order them from the photographer (usually the most expensive option).
Putting it into Practice:
- Pray and choose a verse to add to your Christmas card, letter or picture.? This is the primary message that you want others to glean from your card.
- Make your picture appointment this week for mid-November at the latest.
- If you are sending actual cards, then begin shopping for just the right one this week.
- If you are taking a picture, then begin to browse websites or check your local stores to know what prices, time involved in ordering, etc.
- Check yourself: Is there any pride displayed in my letter or pictures?
Tips to getting them in the mail:
- Have an addressing/stamping party with your family.
- Have a goal to complete your cards.? This will keep you on track.
- Take any part of this project with you to complete while waiting in carpool lines, doctor offices, etc.
- Use your idle time to complete the envelopes, such as while you are watching TV.
- As you finish them or write their names (if not using labels), pray over each family.
?Be sure to save a Christmas card/letter each year for your family scrapbook. It is fun to look back and remember Christmas? past (and old hair styles)!
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Source: http://keepersministry.com/about-those-christmas-cards
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