On the seventh day of Christmas, Christ revealed to me: letters written in a way for us to see.

I’ve never met a person who doesn’t like to receive mail (unless it’s bills, junk mail, or the magazines that keep coming for the person who lived in your apartment before you …). Okay, so maybe there are a few types of mail that aren’t quite “fun” to get.

But at Christmastime, I am always eager to reach into my mailbox – pull out those green and red envelopes with the snowflake return labels stuck to them, pressing my fingers over the handwritten address scrawled in large print across the front. By the time Friday rolls around, I can almost guarantee that there are a few letters waiting to be ripped open, sent from around the country from those I love, making the distance between us seem a little less.

My favorite Christmas cards are the ones that include a picture, or better yet, multiple pictures, taken throughout the year.

I set a card down in disbelief, trying to make sense of how my cousins’ children have grown so quickly. There are the cards where I laugh from my cozy spot on the couch, looking at a friend dressed up in a wild costume for some street parade in San Francisco, saying, “That is so her.” And then there are those where people have grown more serious – little boys turning into teenagers, donning dress shirts and ties and no doubt speaking with deeper voices … if only cards could talk.

And being a word person, my eyes are glued to the cards that contain family-update letters. “She’s where? He’s doing what?” There are always so many new things to learn, especially when we only speak to each other twice a year.

Even though these letters sometimes leave me feeling sad, wishing we lived closer, spoke more often and shared more memories together, I feel so blessed to receive each and every card – a small reminder of the loving friends we have in life and how much we grow over the years. Christmas cards are our chance to be let into each other’s lives – open up about hardships, triumphs and changes. It’s our chance to be a little more bold, a chance to think about each person you send a letter to, wishing them Joy in their lives in the name of Christ.

Send a letter, receive a letter. Mail Joy this Christmas.

** Check back tomorrow to see what Joy I’ve discovered on my 12 Days of Christmas journey. Miss Day 6, Day 5, Day 4, Day 3, Day 2, or Day 1? **