Christmas cards are the bane of my Christmas existence. Don't get me wrong! I love them! I love to receive them. I love to send them. I absolutely love keeping up with special friends--moved across the miles or the distance of years--and hearing the updates about what's happening in their lives now that we're separated by time and reach. I love sending cards to those dear to us who live nearby, too... who find us special and daily enough to eat with us and pray for us and visit us and hang our photo card inside the kitchen cabinet and smile when they open the door and see us and think of us. (At least I hope some of them do that--we do... and hang them in magnetic frames all over the fridge... and other such silly, fun reminders of the sweet friends the Lord has blessed us with over the years, and right now.)
So, here on this Fifth Day of Christmas, I am confessing--yet again--that we have not yet sent out the Christmas cards. For the past several years we have made the picture, had the cards printed up, paid for them, and brought them home. Last year we even got stamps on them. But then we never mailed them!
No, I'm not kidding. They're sitting in my bedroom closet right now. For at least two years now, we've done this!
Why? Who knows, exactly. We were busy with school until too close to the holiday. We were caught up celebrating Christmas in all the wonderful ways we do, once school let out. We were enjoying each other over a rare time of break from work and studies. Then school started up again. We (I guess I should say "I") was embarrassed to send them out so late. We were back in the swing of things, and the Christmas cards sat gathering dust in the closet.
Thank you to those many of you who have faithfully sent us cards anyway. I know it is time-consuming. I know it is expensive. I love every one of them--and I love you special, special ones who send them.
We have printed the cards again this year, and there are many of them that are addressed and ready to go. My children are helping. They've gotten into the spirit of it, too. So, hopefully--this year at least--even if it's the last one to arrive in your mailbox, the wonderful things will finally get mailed!
And, as we move through this holiday season and back into those wonderful, ordinary, daily days, I will still be humming these lines from "Merry Christmas, Darling":
Holidays are joyful
There's always something new
But every day's a holiday
When I'm near to you.
1 comment:
I don't care if we receive your card in July! Just send them! We even want the back issues, please!
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