Today’s action from Love Life Live Advent is to think about someone you care about, and then write to them in a Christmas card to express what they mean to you.
Over the last three years I think I can count the number of Christmas cards that I have actually written and posted on the fingers of one hand. I have always blamed this on the fact that I am ordained, and Advent is a very busy time. Every year I decide that because Christmas is busy, I’ll write to people in January and it will be more meaningful. And then January is busy too.
Since this year I am actually not working in parish ministry, and I still haven’t got round to even buying any Christmas cards, I think it’s probably nothing to do with me being ordained, it’s just me.
But I am going to try harder, because this summer I got a card from a very good friend which I shall treasure for ever. It was a farewell card given to me when we left the UK, and it was a simply wonderful, affirming, heartfelt letter that speaks of a friendship that will not only survive a year without seeing each other, but will enable us to pick up right where we left off when we return next year.
Because I know how much it means to receive such a letter, I really will write some letters myself this time round. It might not be today, or even tomorrow, and they might not quite arrive in time for Christmas, but when they do get written, they’ll be things I’ve meant to say for a long time, and I’ll mean them with all my heart.
reverendally.org 
The writing of letters is a great gift! Thank you for reminding me I need to pick up a pen and write a couple…