Doing One of My Favorite Things!

Every year for the last five years, I've made my Christmas cards myself. The first year I think I only made 40 of them but as the years have progressed, I think I'm now up to 90 or so of them. I absolutely love this process and start thinking in August or so, what I want to come up with this year. I spend a fair amount of time thinking through what message I want to convey and play around with colors and ideas so that it is just exactly what I want. Then, the fun begins.....Sometime in September or October, I begin the process of purchasing the product I need to make it happen.

This year our card was the most labor intensive I've ever done and had to be hand colored with watercolor pencils and then brushed with a waterbrush to make it look like it was painted - I have been totally immersed in the process and have spent many, many night in front of the TV working on them. Once that's done, I cut many pieces of paper to just the right size and start to layer and assemble them. Once assembled, they've been laid out to have THE star all glittered up which is what led the wise men to the manager and baby Jesus, our best gift ever.

Bill has commented to me several times that these cards seem to take too much time. He understands that I love to make them but he struggles with the amount of time they take at an already hectic time of year. This is how I've explained the process to him.

This gift of card making for me is something that "fills my soul" and makes me happy. It doesn't matter to me how long it takes or how putsy they are to make. This year especially, I've been reminded each and every card I've made, how lucky I am to have Christ as my Savior - How fortunate I am that God sent his Son to die for me on the cross so that all my sins are forgiven. That little baby in the manager is "our gift" from God and every card I've made has been an on-going reminder to me of that everlasting gift and the true meaning of Xmas, not to mention how I feel about the gift of family and friends.

I've told Bill that anytime I get a handmade card from someone, it is so much more special to me because someone liked or loved me enough to spend their gift of time on the card to let me know how much they cared about me. That's why I make them - I believe it's a very small way for me to let those I like and love know that they are special to me. That's why I sign every card I make with "From the Heart, Betsy" as that's truly where they come from, my heart!