Reflecting on Christmas Cards

In many parts of the world at this time of year people send Christmas cards to one another. These cards, hand delivered or sent thousands of miles through the air, are a useful way of keeping in touch with people, to let others know that we are thinking of them and wishing them well. They shorten distance, warm hearts and add colour, humour, and charm to our lives in what can be a dark, cold and dreary winter.

Some cards are sent out of duty, habit and obligation - others are sent out of spontaneity, care and consideration. They are a pre-digital phenomenon that has survived the advent of the internet and flourishes in a variety of forms - from the handmade with glitter, to the animated e-card from your supermarket, to the quirky charity gifts, to the interminable ‘family letter’, to the pun laden, to the slightly naff, to the heartbreakingly beautiful. Christmas Cards are unavoidable with shops starting to sell them months in advance. They speak of a strong human desire for connection, to maintain and deepen relationships.

This Advent we are celebrating Christmas Round the World - exploring the various traditions that bring us together across oceans, across languages, and across time. We are encouraging one another to remember that the story of Christmas is a story for the entire world - how do our celebrations connect to others and how can traditions from the other side of the globe help us appreciate Christmas in a new light?

Here’s a short Christmas Card reflection you might want to do over Christmas to break up all that message writing, card folding, stamping, and envelope sealing…

Christmas Card Round The World Reflection

A Christmas card is four things.

It is:

an image
a message
a gesture
a relationship

What images do we want to share with one another this Christmas? On the cards we send, the pictures we post on social media, or the photos we take on our phones? What images could the world use more of? Images to calm? To inspire? To make people laugh? To provoke into action? Think about what images you would like to send to others this year.
What messages do we want to share with our friends, loved ones, and the wider world this Christmas? What are the key words that the world needs to hear this Christmas? Think about issues that people all around the world are facing - from pressure on the environment, to political tension, to conflict, and oppression and terrible injustice. What words do we pray into these situations?
A Christmas card is a gesture - a practical act that takes time and consideration. What other little gestures can we do to let others know we are thinking of them? For people we see regularly in our local community and people around the world we have never met. Sending a card is a simple but thoughtful gesture - think of other things you could do - investing a little time or money or emotional energy to let others know they matter and that you care. Christmas celebrates when God moved into our neighbourhood with a message of love - how can we share that love around the world?
What relationships do we want to care for this Christmas? Who have we lost touch with? Who would we like to get to know better? Who would we like to patch things up with? We live in a complex interconnected world - a global village. What we eat, what we wear, and what we read comes from all over the world. Our actions and choices have an impact on people living thousands of miles away. How can we have better relationships across borders, languages and cultures?

James Cathcart