Christmas Card Fail

One of the casualties of the Holiday Ham meltdown ’11 was our family Christmas card and letter.  We’re not going to do one this year to save some money.  As the Christmas Queen who wants to do everything Christmas, and who’s dream is to be a snowflake in the Holidazzle parade, you can bet this wasn’t my vote.  I’m really into tradition.  We even have a book where we keep all our family Christmas cards through the years.

But maybe it’s better this way.  I received a link to The Best of the Worst Holiday Cards yesterday and I’m thinking some of ours might make the cut.  We were really into holiday sweaters.

Anyway, I’ve been thinking…What if Mary and Joseph wrote a Christmas letter a couple of years after Jesus was born?  It might have begun like ours did in 1987, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…”?

Maybe Mary would have written “Sorry we haven’t gotten our letter out the past few years. We’ve been pretty busy.  Most of it might be hard for you to believe, but we had a baby, Jesus, who seems to be following in his Father’s footsteps.  And we’ve had some unusual visitors…Angels, wise guys, hit men…  We’ve done some traveling too…Galilee, Bethlehem, Egypt…”  Might it have included some amusing anecdotes about their toddler? Would Mary have been tempted to brag about Jesus’ first words?  How would they have painted the adjustment to life with their first baby?  Life on the road without pampers or a porta-crib?

Thinking again about our lack of Holiday correspondence this year, I’m wondering…Are Christmas letters just an opportunity to present our shined up “best life” to friends and family?  Just our attempts at image management?  Or are they a great chance to look back over our year to recognize the hand of God and His faithfulness?                              A chance to say, “We’ve experienced some joy, we’ve experienced some pain, but we’re still here and You’re still God.  God with us.  And we’re grateful.”

Are you sending out Christmas cards or letters this year?