Sharing the Grace of Christmas

This morning while reading a couple of favorite blogs, one in particular caught my eye. Her blog is always uplifting and she seems to have a unique way of sharing grace & kindness with her readers.

She was discussing sending Christmas cards. Okay, this year I admit I did grumble a bit about the total of them. Gosh, how on earth can we cut this list down? Do we really need to include a picture? Do we really need to include a letter? Why on earth did I think I needed to make the return address labels?

While the boys were growing up, we made an evening out of it. I promised cookies and hot cocoa when they had finished signing their names to each card as it went by them, assembly line fashion. Much to my chagrin, they would go as fast as they could, to yes, get to the cookies and cocoa. sigh. One year, one of the boys, who will not be named, had a bee in his bonnet and even spelled his name wrong on all 125+ cards! In green ink of course. Oh, those young teenage years, good times, good times!

Then I read Cindy's blog this morning. She was remembering her mother who passed away a couple years ago & just how much she missed her. What she said about her mother and Christmas cards got my attention.................

My Mom was always looking for ways to share Christ especially during the holidays. One way that she felt we could do this was by sending Christmas cards with the true meaning of Christmas on them. Mom was adamant about this with us!

Sort of changes one's perspective on sending really lovely and meaningful cards? In the blink of an eye, her comments changed my heart. Oh don't get me wrong, we have always sent out cards, hundreds of them each year. It is just in the last few years, I have heard myself grumble and complain a bit more and more. Somehow, it has become a burden.

After reading just a few lines in her blog, she gave me a reason. A mission if you will. Through sending out cards and sharing a bit of our family with others, it gives us a chance to share what we think is important in our lives. How we choose to live. Who we choose to follow.

So this year, the day after Christmas when I search for some pretty cards 1/2 off (hey, I may be a Methodist, but that doesn't mean I don't enjoy a good sale) I will be looking with fresh eyes. Thinking of the perfect message we want to send to others.

Instead of grumbling about how many people don't say Merry Christmas back to me, I am going to count the near 100 people we shared cards with and wrote Merry Christmas to each one of them and their families.

Did you feel it? The earth just shifted slightly. I just changed my attitude ever so little. Yet, a huge weight has been lifted. I feel joyful and happy that we shared so many cards. I guess I needed to hear the reason we follow that particular tradition each year.

Merry CHRISTmas my friends, Merry CHRISTmas.