Christmas Card Envy

Lately, I have had this internal dialogue:
"Money is super tight, how will we get Christmas cards out? Maybe we just won't be able to send them this year. Not send them?! That's absurd! You have to send out Christmas cards... That's what respectable people do!"


So maybe I'm alone in this internal battle... maybe my husband is the only one who has lost his job this year (along with the other nearly 1 million Americans). Maybe our family is the only family dealing with inflating prices of goods, gas, anything everything we need, and yet no inflation in pay? But it seems that we're not the only ones... So I'm a bit confused by all of the 'Christmas Card' talk...


So I've been thinking into the 'why' of Christmas cards, and why they seem so important to me.


I love sending mail. I love receiving mail. But how often do I do it? Not super often. And isn't the reason I like receiving mail because of the thought that someone thought enough of ME to spend a moment of their day, write me a note, and get it into the mail? I mean, I don't get excited when I get a mass mailer, right? Say, the "for Julia T. or current resident" mail? I actually receive those frequently at our home, only addressed to the previous owner... I've tried to send them back but the mailman circles 'Or current resident' like somehow I get it by default. Well, sometimes I think that we get & give Christmas cards by default. I believe I could count on one hand the Christmas cards that had a personal note to ME inside. I've actually received a Christmas card with nothing written in it. Nothing. And it wasn't one of those 'printed' messages' pictures cards... (not that I'm sure that's any better).


So, then, what is the point of Christmas cards? honestly.


Here are other things I've considered in the past couple of weeks in relation to Christmas Cards:

-Why am I so eager to share our 'accomplishments' of the year? Why is that acceptable in a Christmas card meaning to spread the joy of Christ's birth? 

I once heard someone say, "you never get a card with all of the years failures in it, it's always all of the achievements".
-Why is it that I'm all 'go green' about everything else, but I will spend several dollars for each of our  Christmas cards?
-Why am I thrifty with my time to sit and write a word of encouragement to someone yet I spend a week to address cards/ pictures of my beautiful family and the year's success?
-Why is it ok to send an e-mail/ Facebook message/ post for every other situation in life and not send out this wish via the world wide web?
-Why am I striving to be 'classy' when there's no mention of class being something we are to strive for in the Bible.  (I am, however, supposed to be a good steward of 'my' money;))
-I am called to care what God thinks about me, and to live my life for His glory. And my motives in sending out C.C. contradict that. As I look more internally, I see that I send them out to impress others...and how that is wrong. (it's making me think back to things I've learned in hospitality.)


These are all just thoughts that have run through my head as I've pondered the Christmas card tradition...
let me add that if you are in a position to send out cards, and you chose to do so, good for you! They are a fun tradition that make many people smile. This is just *my* thought process on the matter...and something I feel like God wanted me to think about my motives in. (I won't judge you *wink*)


In the spirit of Christmas cards, I've decided to make a 'virtual Christmas card'... one that shares the reality of our year *wink*

Reads: " 2010: A year of job loss, weight gain, and we still haven't painted the basement. May the gift of Jesus's birth overwhelm you in the best and worst of seasons! Merry Christmas, Love, the Towells"