christmas cards

christmas cards are my favorite part of the holiday season, especially as a graphic designer. I LOVE designing my friends cards, then getting them back in the mail. I love seeing my cousins kids grow from states away. I love the whole tradition, I really do. 

but I read an article yesterday about how sometimes, christmas can be a dark time for people. people who have experienced death, divorce and other dark times the previous year. my first dark christmas as an adult was last year. our marriage wasn't good and I was terrified that it would be my last holiday with my daughter. I was a mess. we had only a few people that knew our darkness and they rallied around us at christmas time. but it was still foggy and sad and strange. all the while I was receiving christmas cards in the mail from happy newlyweds, growing families, happy people. it was like ripping a layer of my heart away every time I checked the mailbox.

so this year? I'm intentional. I just made our christmas card list and it was half the people of what I expected. I want to

sit in the darkness with my friends, not send them an impersonal card that says "look how happy I am!" - my friends who have had job loss, divorce, death, sorrow; they will get a phone call from me (or something? any ideas?) so I can sit in the darkness WITH them. I challenge you you all to review your christmas card list with me.

and I know they will never read this, but

thank you, tom and marcia, for sitting in the darkness with us last christmas.

thanks for reading,

chelsie