Gloria in Excelsis Deo
The first modern Christmas card was sent in 1843, commissioned by Sir Henry Cole in London, who wanted a simpler way to send holiday greetings. Designed by artist John Callcott Horsley, the card depicted a family celebrating and scenes of charity, kicking off the tradition of commercial Christmas cards, with about one thousand printed initially for a shilling each. By the time this three dimensional card of the Adoration of the Magi was produced in 1905, production values and printing quality had improved vastly, as this chromolithographed card shows.
I am not an overly religious person, but I know there are a number of my Flickr friends and followers, for whom their religious beliefs are an intrinsic part of them, and others gain comfort and valuable insights about life lessons and how to navigate our ever more complex world from readings of their Holy texts. Regardless of whether you are religious or not, or whether you read the Bible, the Torah, the Qur'an or something else entirely, one cannot deny the valuable lessons our Holy texts teach. They teach us to have humility, be kind to our fellow human beings, compassionate, caring and considerate.
So this Christmas, amongst all the tinsel, festive garlands and baubles, please take a moment to show kindness, compassion, care and consideration to those around you. I firmly believe that you reap what you sow, so making a difference starts with you. You have great power at your very fingertips to make a positive difference to someone with a single gesture: a kind word, a smile, a helping hand or an act of generosity.
The festive season is one of good cheer and goodwill to all, and this world needs as much of that as we can muster collectively.
Merry Christmas!
Gloria in Excelsis Deo
The first modern Christmas card was sent in 1843, commissioned by Sir Henry Cole in London, who wanted a simpler way to send holiday greetings. Designed by artist John Callcott Horsley, the card depicted a family celebrating and scenes of charity, kicking off the tradition of commercial Christmas cards, with about one thousand printed initially for a shilling each. By the time this three dimensional card of the Adoration of the Magi was produced in 1905, production values and printing quality had improved vastly, as this chromolithographed card shows.
I am not an overly religious person, but I know there are a number of my Flickr friends and followers, for whom their religious beliefs are an intrinsic part of them, and others gain comfort and valuable insights about life lessons and how to navigate our ever more complex world from readings of their Holy texts. Regardless of whether you are religious or not, or whether you read the Bible, the Torah, the Qur'an or something else entirely, one cannot deny the valuable lessons our Holy texts teach. They teach us to have humility, be kind to our fellow human beings, compassionate, caring and considerate.
So this Christmas, amongst all the tinsel, festive garlands and baubles, please take a moment to show kindness, compassion, care and consideration to those around you. I firmly believe that you reap what you sow, so making a difference starts with you. You have great power at your very fingertips to make a positive difference to someone with a single gesture: a kind word, a smile, a helping hand or an act of generosity.
The festive season is one of good cheer and goodwill to all, and this world needs as much of that as we can muster collectively.
Merry Christmas!