Here’s a little piece at NPR.org on the increasing popularity of the newest kind of Christmas card even among devout Christians: the family card. (The other two are the religious card--Mary and Jesus. And the secular card--snowmen and snowy villages.)
You all know what I’m talking about. When opening your Christmas cards, you see the sender’s family instead of the Holy Family. Or a picture from their vacation at Cabo San Lucas, instead of the story from the original San Lucas. Or maybe a photo of the family dog with reindeer horns. Don’t get me wrong: I love family photos at Christmas. I just think they belong inside the card, not as the card itself. In other words, less you and more Jesus. Less Virgin Islands and more Virgin Mary. See what you think here.
And what do you think? I’m pretty curious.
James Martin, SJ