Christmas cards are becoming more and more difficult.First, there is the difficulty of finding good quality cards which actually celebrate Christmas: that is, cards with religious pictures - and I don't count pictures of a dove with an olive branch as "religious." The whole point about Christmas is the celebration of Christ's birth. Stars just about cut it. Traditional pictures of singing (or instrument-playing) angels, by virtue of their artistic merit and the theological implications are ok. Santa Claus, robins, snowy village scenes and carol singers are definitely out.
Then there is the whole "charity" thing. I like the idea of sending cards which help to support a charity. I don't, however, want to support any charity with anti-life policies such as abortion, embryo experimentation, euthanasia, population control and pre-natal screening/diagnosis. Many of the charity Christmas cards on sale in the supermarkets support a variety of charities... and quite a few of them are involved in these anti-life areas.
It is a minefield: for example, charities like the Parkinson's Disease Society, which would otherwise be very good causes, are now off limits because they advocate embryonic stem cell research.
If you want to check out a particular charity, then the SPUC Charities page is an excellent resource.
Aid to the Church in Need Xmas cards. Job done.
ReplyDeleteFor many years we have bought most of our Christmas cards from Aid to the Church in Need. They meet all your criteria, and are beautiful as well. Highly recommended!
ReplyDeleteSPUC themselves sell Christmas cards, as do Aid to the Church in Need.
ReplyDeleteI commend them both to readers.
Actually, I do get my Christmas cards from both SPUC and ACN. But I was highlighting the problem for other readers, so they can find out about the Charities Page by SPUC (in case people want to check out other charities!)
ReplyDeleteChanging the topic slightly, it is not only hard to find cards that actually celebrate Christmas; these days, virtually everything else realted to the season seems to be overwhelmingly secular.
ReplyDeleteThe occasional exception is lovely to see: a baker's shop near to where I work has been making some rather nice decorated cakes - last week they had one with marzipan figures of the Magi on it, and yesterday there was one with an endearing little nativity scene. It was also encouraging hear a customer commenting that, 'It's nice to see that someone remembers the true meaning of Christmas'.
As I live alone, I don't normally bother with a Christmas cake, but am seriously thinking of ordering a small one from this shop.
Hey, Mattheus, where exactly is this shop?
ReplyDeleteAlice Springs.
ReplyDeleteVery funny, Zephyrinus... but Mattheus is based in the UK, so there!
ReplyDeleteHere in the U.S., secularization has pushed out the real meaning of Christmas in many places, but this season there has been a backlash, with more and more Christians displaying creches in their own front yards and wishing everyone a "Merry Christmas" instead of "Happy Holidays". We are beginning to see a growing reaction in this country against the idea that "tolerance" is to be accorded to all ... unless they are Christians. --- Rosemary in Missouri
ReplyDeleteThe shop is opposite the Chinese Garage in Beckenham.
ReplyDeleteM.