2 Thumbs-Up Tuesday!

Question: What do you do with all those beautiful holiday cards your family has received this season?

Answer: Turn them into a prayer reminder album of sorts.

I love getting Christmas cards in the mail. It's one of my favorite things about the Christmas season. This season was no different and every day, I anxiously awaited the mail carrier's arrival to see what cards would come that day. I love them all--the photos, the embellishments, the plain ones, the ones holding confetti, they're all great and each one is meaningful to me. I find it difficult to part with them and therefore have quite a collection--I've got ten years worth of Christmas cards stored away! Until last year, I had them just rubberbanded, etc. together ...see Exhibit #1, part of my collection:

And at the beginning of each season, I pull them out and spend some time going through them and marveling at how families have changed...kids have grown up, new babies, new homes, losses of loved ones--it has become a neat time to reflect on my friends and family and realize how special they are and how they touch so many lives. It's quite a walk down memory lane!

Anyway, last year I turned them into a prayer list and assigned each family represented in the card a week of the year and prayed for that family as their week rolled around. You could even take it a step further and send that family a quick note letting them know you thought of them and that they had been prayed for that week. You may have already put this into practice in your household...after all, this is not an original idea from me and in fact, if you look online, you will find tons of ideas for recycling cards, etc. So have fun with it! This year, I think we're going to do it as a family!

This can be as elaborate or as simple as you want it. No time? Slip the cards into a ready-made photo album and let that be it!

Here's what I did with what I had on hand...

Using a hole punch, I made a hole in each card and then threaded them onto a binder clip. I couldn't resist adding a little ribbon! I had 42 cards so that works out nicely that each family will get a week out of the year. I did not put them in any certain order. I made a bookmark from ribbon by tying a shell to the end of a piece of ribbon to weigh it down. That way, I can keep track of where I am in the book. For example, after week 1, I'll move the bookmark so I know who to pray for the next week. You get it. It's not rocket science!

Colossians 4:2

"Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful! "