Christmas cards and the personal touch

How many Christmas cards have you sent this year? Another question: do you know the year in which the first Christmas card was sent, and who sent it? Find the answer here. Each year, many millions of Christmas cards are sent and received in the UK. In recent years some people have decided that, rather than send Christmas cards to their friends at church, they would send a general greeting though the church magazine, and then make a donation to charity corresponding to the amount of money they have saved on Christmas cards. I can see the logic, and no doubt the charities concerned are very grateful.

There is, however, another side to this issue. I was talking recently to a lady who told me that she intended to continue sending Christmas cards. The reason was that she really appreciated receiving Christmas cards herself; she therefore wanted to bless others in the way that she herself was blessed.

I find that receiving Christmas cards, especially when they come from people who I have not seen for some time, often brings back memories, and certainly gives a prompt to pray for God's blessing on the people concerned.

Last year a friend of mine, who is also a Methodist Minister, decided to personally deliver Christmas cards to all his church members. In a mad moment, I decided that this year I would try to do the same: quite a tall order when I am Minister of two churches with a combined membership of approaching 200 people! I wrote and addressed the cards, and started delivering them on 1 December, wondering how it would go.

Having now reached 19 December, I still have quite a few cards left to deliver, but I am just about on target to get them all delivered by Christmas Eve. It has been quite a task, and I have had to use my days off to get on with the deliveries, but it has certainly been worthwhile. Even though I have not been able to stay long in each home, the mere fact that I have taken the time to call with the card has been very much appreciated. The personal touch means a lot. (Thankfully, some people have been out when I have called, otherwise I would never have got all the cards delivered!)

So I think it's good to send cards. It's also a great thing to receive them. I thank God for all those who have taken time to write and address cards to me and Sue, and I thank God for the inspiration and opportunity to deliver lots of Christmas cards this year. Most of all I thank God for Jesus - the heart of Christmas, "the reason for the season."