On Christmas Day, 1863, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow heard the church bells ringing and wrote these words:

But it was not a season of Christmas peace for Longfellow. His wife had recently died from severe burns, civil war was ravaging the nation, and earlier in December, army surgeons had informed Longfellow that his oldest son had been severely injured in battle and might possibly be paralyzed.

He heard the bells chiming “peace,” but all around him, he saw despair and violence. He had lost two wives, been himself injured in the fire that had killed his second wife, his son was hurt, his children left motherless, men were enslaving other men, and brothers were killing brothers.

But as he listened to the bells longer, he was able to pen words that still bring Christmas hope to those longing for God’s peace in difficult times:

Longfellow knew that God was on His throne. Even though he couldn’t see it, Longfellow knew that God was still working and that ultimately, He would win over all the hate, injustice, and evil of the world. But what is sad is that Longfellow most likely did not really know the God of peace who sent His Son for us to conquer the “Wrong” and bring us eternal peace.

Henry Longfellow was curious about Jesus Christ, but he lived and died a member of the Unitarian Church. Unitarians believe that Jesus was not the Son of God but only a good man and that there was no need for Jesus to sacrificially die for us, and there is no eternal damnation.

Like Longfellow, many people today hear songs of peace while carrying private grief, loss, or discouragement. And like him, they know about God. Over half of Americans have no doubt that He exists, and others are open to it. They overwhelmingly believe that Jesus existed, and most know what He did for us; but very few really know God. They have not chosen to believe they are sinners in need of a Savior or allowed Him to be the Lord of their lives. They can sing (and even write) Christmas carols, but they do not yet know the Savior or the peace that they sing about.

Longfellow believed God was not dead; how much more can we who truly know God rest in the promise that God’s peace is real and eternal. We can be confident in the hope of Christ. One day soon the Wrong shall fail, the Right prevail, with peace on earth, goodwill to men.

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Christmas card giving dates back to 1843 and Sir Henry Cole who introduced the Penny Post in England as an affordable postal system. He wanted to make it easy to send holiday greetings to friends and family. The first card was designed by John Callcott Horsley featuring a family celebrating together and the message was, “A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to You.” With improved printing and inexpensive postage the 1860s and 1870s saw a worldwide popularity of Christmas card giving. There has been an evolution of Christmas cards with improved manufacturing and distribution.

The giving and receiving of Christmas cards was important and memorable when I was a kid. As kids, we often were given the opportunity to pick out a box or two of the cards we would send. Mom would do the writing inside and sign from, “The 4Js” (all our names started with J).

As a kid and then repeating it with my kids, we picked a received Christmas card (each week or month depending on total cards received) and placed it on our table. We would then pray for that family and often call them or send a note telling them what we were doing with their card.

Sometimes saved Christmas cards were used to create new art. 3-D decoupage was the “rage” while I was a kid. You would take various cards, cut out characters, animals, or stars and layer them on top of each other using glue-guns and shellac.

But, what has happened to the giving of Christmas cards?

• Technology came and many people started sending electronic (digital) cards.
• The rise in the cost of cards and the cost of postage made some families limit the number of cards sent…if any.
• The Christmas cards became less about celebrating Jesus’ birth and more about the commercialization of “the holiday.”

What can we do to revive the spirit of Christmas card giving? Make Christmas card giving a family event from start to finish!

1. Schedule 1-2 nights (1-2 hours per night) a week starting now to get everything completed to deliver cards by Christmas.

2. Choose a basic stock paper you will use. There are varieties of weight, colors, and textures to choose from.

The heavier the stock, the less likely you will want to make a folding card. You may create a postcard style with art on one side and the message on the back. Heavier stock also allows for possible mediums as tempera or finger paint, glue guns, and other heavier “bling.”

Lighter weight paper, like copy paper, can be folded in half or in fours. “Bling” is still possible, but must be lighter like string, ribbons, small buttons or the card will be cumbersome to open.

On lighter paper, make sure you have layers between the folding sides as you create so as not to have ink or paint bleed through.

When folding paper for cards, test out the direction of pages to show pictures, text, and final salutation…you don’t want to work so hard and see you have a page upside down or backwards…but that could add character.

3. Decide your front cover theme. If you have small children, baby lambs, angels, and shepherds may keep their interest.

Allowing your small ones to do finger tip or thumb art is exciting. Dipping their thumb in white paint can create the body of a sheep or angel. Dipping their pinky finger into the white paint and appropriately placing that mark becomes the head of the sheep or angel.

Painting or placing of characters should occur after the background has been sketched on with crayon or colored pencils. This could be done as an assembly line. Someone colors the ground, someone colors the sky, and someone can place glitter stars in the sky.

A theme for older children and adults may be Christmas trees or Poinsettia flowers. Again, this could be completed as an assembly line.

4. Wait now for the next session to add any eyes, legs, arms, or accents to the front cover art. Sharpies come in multiple colors and thickness and work well even over dried paint, crayon, or colored pencils. Additional sticky eyes, stars, or glitter can be used.

Remember, place a sheet or two between the page on which you use the sharpy and the page below so it won’t bleed.

5. Choose a Christmas verse or a goodwill greeting you want in your card. Maybe you want two or three for variety.

At this point you will decide, are you going for the neatness and choose someone with the best penmanship, or are you going for the love and memory making, and anybody who can copy the script to fit in the space becomes a scribe.

6. Make sure the salutation page has everyone’s name and age. Include the year of this Christmas card. When people sift through memories this will be more meaningful because of the names, ages, and date.

7. Finally …the delivery method. Many handmade cards will not fit into an envelope. Depending on who will receive your cards and the distance of delivery, there are several options.

• Before you start, but have decided whether your Christmas card is a postcard, folded in half, or folded in quarters; head down to a local store that still sells envelopes and see if any fit your card. You could measure your card (L x W x H) and then check various online services and find envelopes that match your card size. Always go just a little larger so your creative “bling” won’t be smashed.

• Your family may choose not to use envelopes and hand deliver. This is  my favorite method. Know which cards can be given out at school, work, or church. Present them just saying, “Our family was thinking of you, Merry Christmas.”

• Your family may choose to deliver your Christmas cards to a homeless shelter or senior center. Make sure you check on numbers beforehand if this is your family’s choice…you don’t want any residents to be left out.

Guess what? If your family chooses to purchase the pre-made Christmas cards and skip the creative mayhem…you still can finish well by following steps 6 (salutation page) and 7 (delivery method) and make your Christmas card giving memorable to both your family and those who receive your Christmas Cheer.

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Many of us are lonely, especially during the holidays. Christmas is “the most wonderful time of the year,” but for quite a few, there are reasons why it might not feel like it. Perhaps it is a new loneliness because a loved one is no longer with us this year or our children have all grown and moved away. Or maybe it is a long-standing loneliness – you’re single and never had any children to begin with, or you are now, because of age or illness, at home alone. Maybe even the stress of a large gathering or loud party just seems too much for you and you choose to be physically alone.

Whether we choose to be alone or not, none of us wants to feel lonely, but research tells us that somewhere between 30-50% of us do feel lonely at Christmas. That’s a lot of people, so ironically, you are not alone. So what are some things we can do to combat this holiday (or even long-term) loneliness?

1.

Think ahead about when you may be alone for an extended time so you can take a little control and see where to schedule errands or shopping, trying not to have more than a couple days when you are not around other people.

2.

Reach out to others. Chances are, you know someone who is as lonely as you. Greet a neighbor, call an old friend, even write a letter.

Surprisingly, Gen Z’ers (18–24 year-olds) and single adults reported the most loneliness – even more than elderly people. So whatever age you are, don’t assume younger people have all kinds of friends. Invite one over for a simple dinner and you may both enjoy yourselves more than you thought.

3.

If you are able, go volunteer somewhere. Many groups look for help around the holidays for their big outreaches – soup kitchens, food banks, caroling at care facilities, etc. You may find others who are alone at these events and find camaraderie there as well.

4.

If none of these are available options for you, you still don’t need to be alone on Christmas. The whole point of the holiday is celebrating the fact that Jesus, the Son of God, came from heaven to become one of us, live a perfect life, then die and come back from the dead so that He can live with us and in us, now and for eternity. Emmanuel, God with us. If you are a believer, you have a friend with you at all times. If you are not yet a believer, God loves you, wants to save you, and live with you forever.

If you are one of the fortunate ones who will not be alone on Christmas, look around at church, at work, your apartment building, or wherever you may be. Do you see someone who might need someplace to go? Is there at least an event you can share with them and then a cup of coffee afterward? Christmas may or may not be the most wonderful time of the year, but it is a celebration of one of the most wonderful events of all time. Share it with others.

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Sweet Treats

Never underestimate the power of a lovingly prepared treat in cute packaging! Treats are great for the people you know who are hard to buy for because they “have everything.” You can choose recipes based on what you already know they like, or for dietary restrictions. For example, a quick search for “keto treat recipes” or “sugar free candy recipes” or “vegan candy recipes” will yield up a bounty of options! Cute packaging can be found at Walmart, Dollar General, or online.

This Gingerbread Fudge Recipe is a perfect option because it uses simple and readily available ingredients, and has easy to follow instructions. Chocolate Truffles are a classic and versatile option that almost everyone loves. Or, for a more involved project, go ahead and make an adorable and delicious homemade gingerbread house to really WOW your loved one!

Let The Kids Help

1. Christmas Tea Tree

Any tea lover on your list would adore this Christmas Tea Tree. It’s decor and a month’s worth of hot delicious tea in one! You can choose the type of tea you know your loved one likes, or do a sampler of all kinds of different teas and flavors. You could pair the tree with little gift boxes of sugar, honey, or even a tea cup.

2. Snowflake Coasters

These snowflake coasters are an adorable, easy, and affordable gift for almost anyone on your list. I love that they can be used all the way til spring and then be pulled out again next Christmas. Package them in a little box or canister with a label so your loved one knows what they are, and enjoy the project!

3. Mason Jar Votive Holder

These mason jar votive holders could be made out of things you already have around the house! You can use all different shapes of glass jars (think: spaghetti sauce jars, jam jars, peanut butter jars) Chalk paint can be made out of acrylic paint with baking soda added, and the shape on the jar can be cut out of painters tape or stickers you already have. The possibilities are endless! 

Now For The Hard Part

Men are notoriously hard to figure out good DIY gifts for, but I think I found some great ones!

1. For His Face

For the bearded man, make homemade beard oil. This is especially easy if you’re already into essential oils, but even if you’re not, there are plenty of affordable oils available on websites like Eden’s Garden or Plant Therapy. If the man on your list is a shaver, you could make homemade shaving cream for a really pampering and practical gift!

2. Manly Treats

You’ve heard “the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach?” It’s true. A few options for food related gifts are: 

• Spice Blends (taco seasoning, steak rub, cajun seasoning)
• Infused salts (bacon, herb, citrus)
• Flavored sugar (vanilla bean, cinnamon, cayenne)
• His favorite candy in a homemade gift box that looks like a man’s suit.And for the outdoor man, these easy handmade hand warmers.

3. Coasters

Handmade coasters! The options are endless with these DIY coasters. You can do any color and any design that fits the guy on your list. The map idea is super cool…you could print maps from his favorite vacation destination or his hometown. You could use pictures of fish, deer, sports logos or scrapbook paper in patterns that match his office…you get the idea!

What are some DIY Christmas gifts you’ve made in the past? Do you have any planned for this year? Let us know in the comments, and include pictures if you decide to make any of the ideas from this list! Merry Christmas and happy crafting!

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God bless you. Stay hopeful!

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1. Dance Party
Do you love people who love to get down? Plan a Christmas Dance Party, complete with fun music, wacky outfits, and crazy decorations. Make sure you get some screenshots, because these are memories you’re going to want to pass on to the next generation!

2. Book Club
Send a book to each household you want to participate in your virtual book club and set the dates. This can work for people of all ages. You can pick a classic like Dr. Seuss’ How The Grinch Stole Christmas! to read with the kids in your life, or you can make it a season-long thing and read a novel together with your siblings or cousins. If your family members don’t enjoy reading, you could pick a devotional or a joke book to work through together instead.

3. Board Game Night
It’s likely been awhile since you’ve had a game night, so get out your dusty Candy Land or (if you all aren’t the table-flipping type) Monopoly, and set up a video call. For a really special touch, send a box of their favorite snacks ahead of time.

4. Zoom Party Scavenger Hunt
This works best if you have a lot of people on your video call. Start off with a piece of paper and write down all the items in the scavenger hunt on the left side of the paper, and each person’s name along the top edge of the paper for scoring. Think about items that most people will be able to find somewhere in their home- a slipper, a spatula, car keys, a sports team t-shirt…the options are limitless! The rules are:

• All players must be touching their device before each round begins. 
• The host calls out the first item on the list and starts the timer.
• The players must rush to find the item in their house and bring it to the starting position before the timer runs out.
• Once the countdown ends, all players must come back to the starting position, whether they found the item or not.
• The host then writes down the points won by each player, next to the item. 
• The scoring works like this: 
  • The first player to reach their screen with the correct item wins 3 points.
  • The second player to arrive with the correct item wins 2 points.
  • All players who find the item within the time period but did not arrive first or second, receive 1 point.
  • The rest of the players who did not find the item, or found the item after the time was up receive 0 points.

5. If You’re Not Text Savvy
If you’re not familiar with Zoom or video calls, and the idea of learning how to do it is just too much for you right now, there are still fun things you can do! Think about writing a scavenger hunt, sending it to your loved ones in the mail, and asking them to take pictures and mail them back to you. Or, have phone call dates and have specific things set up to ask about so the conversation doesn’t lag. If you have a smartphone, look at getting Game Pigeon and play classic games with the young people in your life. There’s Four In a Row (it’s like Connect 4), Checkers, Chess, Word Hunt, and many many others!

Hopefully these ideas have inspired you to think of creative ways to connect with your loved ones this year. Maybe you’ll even start a yearly tradition! Do you have any ideas of ways to connect from a distance? Tell us about them, and you might just be giving someone else a ray of hope during this unusual season we’re in! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

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