Let's face it.  For those of us who want to send Christian Christmas cards, there seems to be less choice than ever before. The card stores at the mall offer holiday greetings covered with glittering ornaments, Santa and lots of holly.  Yet it's getting harder to find a good selection of religious Christmas cards in local shops.  What can you do if you want a unique card to express your belief in the true meaning of Christmas?  Here are seven creative ideas to help your share your Christian faith this Christmas season.

1. Shop online.  Don't limit yourself to brick and mortar stores that stock only the most popular holiday designs and themes in order to boost profits.  Search the internet and you'll find it is filled with many niche' markets that offer specialized items.  There are online stores that sell exclusively Christian products, including Christmas cards, as well as traditional holiday card websites that offer a wide selection of religious Christmas cards.

2. Enclose a bookmark.  You can still choose a standard Christmas card with a beautiful green wreath on the cover, but slip a bookmark inside with a Christian message.  You can find these in Christian book stores and online.  There are even websites that will create inexpensive custom bookmarks for you.  These can be personalized with your favorite Bible verse or even a family photo.

3. Mail a magnet.  There are many companies that make personalized thin, flat, easy to mail magnets of all sizes.  They will add your message, Bible verse and sometimes even a photo.  You can send these to everyone on your Christmas card list and it will still be on their refrigerator long after the holiday is gone.

4. Send photo Christmas cards.  There are photo card companies on the internet that feature religious photo Christmas cards.  They incorporate a Christian message and design with your photo and personalization.  If you don't find a business that specifically makes Christian photo Christmas cards, then locate one that will let you include a slightly longer personalization.  This way you can add your favorite Bible verse and Christian message.  Let everyone on your holiday list see the joy of the Lord in your family's faces.  People tend to hold on to photo Christmas cards long after they've discarded the traditional paper greetings.  So, your message will remain. 

5. Make it yourself.  If you haven't found just the right Christmas card for your family, it's easy to make your own card.  First pick a large colorful background using scrapbook paper, wrapping paper or even construction paper.  Cut out photos of your family, your children's drawings or pictures from magazines or other sources. On a paper that compliments your background color, write or use your printer to print your message.  Arrange all of your elements on the background and when you're happy with their placement, use a glue stick to keep them there.  Then to mass-produce them, you have two choices.  You can scan the finished product and then print it on your home printer.  Or you can use your digital camera and take a photo of it and upload it to a website that will print it for you.  This can be a fun holiday project for the whole family.

6. Include your testimony.  Whether you send traditional holiday cards or religious Christmas cards, you can include a printed account of how God has touched your life.  It doesn't have to be your whole life story to have impact.  In fact, you can simply share an example of how God answered a prayer for you this past year.  Many people send Christmas newsletters heralding their family's annual accomplishments.  Instead, consider letting others know what the Lord has accomplished.  You never know whose life it might touch.

7. Pray for each person, as you seal their envelope. Instead of dreaming of wintery weather with each Christmas card you write, lift up that person to the care of the Lord and ask His blessing in their life.  The person who receives your Christmas card may have no idea you prayed for them as you were writing it, but it is a meaningful way to put your beliefs into action.

So, don't limit your choice to the handful of religious Christmas cards that you find in your local store, when there are many creative ways to express your faith during the holidays.  This year, make your Christian Christmas card a unique, personal message from your heart that proclaims the true reason for the season.

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