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| {source: IG / @lollyjaneblog) |
I open the door each day and tiptoe run to my mailbox. It's usually around 4 pm after I have changed 2 diapers and all 4 littles are awake and eating a snack of some sort. The smallest little is usually crawling on the floor where I have tossed cheerios for her to scavenge. I reach the mailbox with excitement in hopes of an actual letter. Sometimes sealed with special Christmas stamps. Sometimes address labels with snowmen. It feels like tradition. It feels vintage and "old school." It feels like a Christmas card. And my heart soars.
Some of you may disagree with this post. I know they take more money and there are times when the cards just can't be made. But goodness I love them. I want to fight for them. I don't care if they are from Staples or fancy-schmancy Tiny Prints or Minted. I just love them. Each card is covered with fall trees or winter mountains or just a picture where everyone is somewhat looking and maybe smiling. It floods my heart with memories of that person. It makes me see Jesus in them as I pray they still hold His hand each day. It just makes me feel...CONNECTED. And isn't that something we all want. To CONNECT. To know and be known. And for some crazy reason a Christmas card makes me feel that. I don't think through the lense of "oh they look perfect so their life must be perfect." No offense to anyone that I get a Christmas card from but I know that to not be true. Why? Because I am sending them too...and guess what my kids are all smiling in our pic but our life is messy, crazy, full (of wrestling matches, dolls and poopy diapers). It's imperfect and I LOVE THAT. I want the imperfect. I want in the moments of seeing a Christmas card to praise the Lord for my imperfect and your imperfect...why...because it makes us all remember we need a Savior for all the imperfectness.
So Christmas cards...let's look at them different. Let's see toddlers that are cray-cray but so cute in those pigtails and bow ties (you will most likely see all my 3 ladies in pigtails but will never see the little man in a bow tie...more like camo overalls...yep, mini-daddy that one.). Let's see mom's that rejoiced and felt blessed as she clicked to order those Christmas cards even though it had been a hard day at least she could check off "order Christmas cards" off her to-do list that is always growing. Let's see marriages that are still together another year and pray for those couples to cover their marriage from the enemy which wants nothing more to make next years card without daddy in the picture. Let's pray for ministries and businesses that those men/women/dads/moms that they labor for and for Jesus to be made known in those hallways, office cubes or flights across the nation. Let's treasure those cards...because those cards hold our people. Our people that we love and maybe miss due to distance. Our people that we are proud of and maybe don't say that often enough. Our people that we think of but maybe their picture will make us pray for the newborn in the picture or their marriage since it's their first christmas married...whatever the picture...treasure them.
So Christmas cards I love you. I treasure you. I flip through you all year. I pray over you. I will fight for you.
Adventure and Wonder,
kanakuk ashley robbins
ashley@kanakuk.com
Kanakuk...we send crazy Christmas cards!
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