Don’t you love them? Christmas cards! I’ve got a big box I’ve collected over the years, all sorted by categories. I have lots of plans for those cards, but it seems like the years roll by faster than I can put my plans to work.
Today I’m working on my Christmas letters. It’s complicated because I have three languages to take care of and different categories for these languages. There are friends, family, ministry, neighbors… and then there is this new category that I want to add: the Sunday school teachers that use my weekly stories. The emails they send me are my inspiration. They should be on the top of the list. But Sweden is farthest away so it’s on the top. The cards and letters have to go out tomorrow!
I like snail mail for my Christmas greetings, but this year only those who have no email will get the greeting that way. I have to economize the strength in my right hand. The neuropathy is not only in my feet, but my hands and fingers are affected and this year is not funny. So my principles have to give way for the practical!
I can’t show my collection here, but I’ve picked three cards, in three categories: the sad, the hilarious, the cute.
This is the “sad’ category. They don’t look sad, you’re probably thinking. No, they were happy the summer they took this picture for their Christmas greeting. But during the fall, the wife and mother (in the red jacket) was diagnosed with an aggressive liver cancer and within weeks she was gone. The family decided to send out these greeting cards anyway. Three girls lost their mother and our very good friend Jan-Erik lost his wife. Some years later he married his late wife’s sister!
We received this card the same year. I think it’s hilarious, to see my friends at Christmas standing in the ocean. t’s not in Florida so the water in winter-time is freezing. The twins in the front were our girls best friends. Both these cards are from the time we lived in Villands Vånga, Sweden. We knew them from church in Kristianstad, where we attended.
I saved the best for last. These are my cute nieces and nephews, dressed for winter. Those were the days when they didn’t have to worry about anything other than obeying Mom and Dad. Now three of them are moms and dads themselves.
Remember the cute little Britta who was born the day I arrived in Sweden in October? The big girl in the red is her mom.
This cute little girl is almost two months now. She reminds me so much of my little girl that’s in heaven now. The eyes and the nose. It’s just like I was looking at my Eva-Marie. On Thursday it will be 11 years since she went home to be with God.
Christmas cards. I better get back to my writing or my friends will get their “snail mail” cards by Easter!
Kerstin Lundquist's Blog 