"A Christmas Card"

"...'I am bringing you good news of
great joy for all the people..."
Luke 2:10

According to this well known story
an angel came announcing the birth
of a special baby, and bringing glad
news to everyone.

Now we send out Christmas cards
to people sending them our good
wishes as we remember this story
that has been handed down through
the ages.

I was curious about where sending
Christmas cards started, and this is
what I found on-line.

"In 1843, the Christmas card was
invented by a man named John
Calcott Horsley, who lived Italy. He
was hired by Sir Henry Cole in an
effort to depict the desolate living
conditions of the poor. The idea was
to raise awareness and encourage
people to help those in need.

"Ironically, the result was a card
portraying a happy family, including a
child sipping wine. Scrawled across
the front of the card was 'A Merry
Christmas and a Happy New Year to
You.' This led to criticism as it was not
socially correct for a child to drink
alcohol. Despite this, the Christmas
card was a hit and manufacturers found
it difficult to keep up with the demand. By
1880, the Christmas card business was
big and growing rapidly.

Christmas cards are ways we reach out
to people we often don't talk to the rest
of the year, but they are also ways of
letting people know we love and care
about them.

I'm grateful to you, and I'm wishing you
Happiness on this Christmas Day, and
abundant blessings in this New Year.

Let Us Pray:
We are grateful for the reminder to bless
those we love and care about who have
been a part of our lives. We are grateful
to know the Christ Presence fully Present
in each one of us. Amen.

Merry Christmas,
Sandy