Christmas letters ~ yay or nay?

On top of doing RACK, this weekend we were able to get our Christmas tree up, I got all the presents wrapped and I am just about done with Christmas letters. I'm still waiting on a few addresses. It feels so good to get this stuff done, almost. I really debated this year as to whether or not I would do a Christmas letter. It seems to be a fading tradition. I remember as a kid we would get tons of Christmas letters and they would be passed around for each member of the family to read. Yes, some of them were boring (usually just because they were friends of my parents and I didn't really know them), but it made me feel like I had some clue what was going on in people's lives. Especially relatives that maybe didn't live close or that we just didn't see as much as we would like. But now with social networking sites, we can stay connected so much easier than before. And quite frankly, fewer and fewer people even bother to send a Christmas card anymore. So I debated. It's a lot of work to do a letter and it costs money to print it out (ink is stinkin' expensive!). And I wondered if anyone would even care if I wrote a letter or not. Then I thought of those that I long to stay in contact with that are not on a social networking site. And I thought of how rare it is to get a real honest to goodness letter in the mail. And then I thought this is a way to minister to people as well. It's a chance for me to share a little bit of how my faith in Christ affects my day to day life. So call me old-fashioned (I prefer sentimental), but I thought I would give it a go. I wrote the letter and printed off a gazillion copies and started stuffing Christmas cards. Yes, most of the people getting the cards will already know what is in the letter. But, it still shows an effort to connect on my part. In a small way that I feel like I am telling those that receive the letter, "I value the relationship we have. You are not expendable to me in this 'unfriending' world. I care enough to update you in a more personal way and hope that you will keep me updated on your life as well." I hope it will not be seen as a waste of time and paper by people, but even if it is, I am still glad that I did it. People are important. And getting something personal in the mail is a small joy that often gets overlooked. In the midst of bills and the crazy materialistic push this season brings, I hope that for even a moment, someone I care about has a moment, an excuse, to stop and slow down. And maybe, just maybe, the verse in the letter or some words I wrote will be used by God to reach someone's heart. I pray for those that I send the letters to. I do. So I believe that it is worth the extra effort and the extra cost and the extra time.

Ahh. Now back to my busy day and seeking that fine balance of getting things done, caring for my family and keeping God and His Word in the forefront of my mind.