Christmas Cards

Do you find yourself needing to take either a suitcase or a garbage can with you to the mailbox each day?  It is surely a busy time of year for the mail carrier.

Stuffed in my mailbox are bills that remind me that most of my paycheck has already been spent, tons of advertisements from restaurants and stores hoping the Christmas season will bring them some financial relief, and piles of political ads with candidates demeaning their opponents.  

But as I filter through the heap of unwanted mail, I find the gold -- Christmas cards.

In the midst of all this stuff, I pull out the two or three pieces of mail that will actually bring a smile to my face and a feeling of love in my heart.

By the way, did you know that today, December 9th, is the official Christmas Card Day.  This day honors Sir Henry Cole of England who created the very first commercial Christmas card back in 1843.

I know this British inventor had no idea the smiles his creation would bring to us during the dreariness of 2020.  Each time I open a Christmas card, I get a sense of what the shepherds must have felt when they heard the greeting from the angels announcing the news of great joy – “a savior has been born for all people.”

Some of you have already addressed and mailed your cards, others of you are still signing and sealing with hopes to get your cards in the mail in the next few days.

Let me encourage even those who do not normally mail Christmas cards to purchase two or three and send them to a few folks you know who would benefit from opening some good news this year. 

I guarantee you they may quickly trash the “junk” mail, but they’ll cherish your card placing it where it will be seen and bring a smile throughout this season.