Cards for Those Forgotten

In years gone by, sending and receiving Christmas cards was a much anticipated occasion each year. Families would sit together to address and stamp their envelopes, write personal messages and even hand make their own cards to send to family and friends locally and faraway.

Receiving Christmas cards was just as much fun. Families would place the cards on the mantel over their fireplaces, tuck them into the branches of their tree or even hang them with clothes pins from a line on the wall.  There were many ways to use the cards as decorations in the home during the holiday's.

Do you send Christmas cards each year?  Do you receive cards? It is definitely a dying tradition for most people. For those of us on Facebook or Instagram we simply download a meme for Christmas, place it on our personal media pages and let that serve as a Christmas card to everyone.

But, what about those folks that do not have social media? Mostly being older folks. This means they do not get a Christmas card from us. Do you send these people in your life a "real" card?  I hope so because they are the ones who really enjoy this type of gesture.  They know that you actually thought of them personally if you took the time to write a note AND their name and address on an envelope.

There is also another group who so often go without any contact during the holidays.  This being the elderly in nursing homes. So many of these folks have no living relatives, at least none nearby or any that send cards or visit. Each year Caring Hearts Card Drive gathers handmade cards from all who choose to participate and distributes these cards to nursing homes around the U.S., Canada and Australia and this year they will reach out to the United Kingdom as well.. This may not seem like a lot, but to the person who receives a single card, this is a huge blessing. And there are MANY who receive nothing more.

Now, let's talk about the "handmade" part. Yes, there are alot of really nice elegant cards made and sent, however any handmade card would be loved by one of the folks who would otherwise be Forgotten. They don't need to be perfect, fancy, expensive etc. A card made from the hands of a small child is very loved by everyone.

I encourage you to spend a bit of time  with your family, friends, church group etc.in making cards to contribute to this heartfelt endeavor.

 The cards need to reach one of the volunteers by November 25, 2016. There are a few rules so please check out http://lingshappyplace.blogspot.com/2016/10/caring-hearts-card-drive-2016.html for more information and Be Prepared To Bless.

Happy card making,

Johnna