Three Creative Ways to Use Your Gift of Writing this Christmas

by Cathy Baker @CathySBaker

Anyone can purchase a Lowes gift card for Christmas. Or perhaps, a handcrafted petal-soft infinity scarf the color of sea glass. I’m sorry, was that too specific? 

But you, my fellow writer, can create one-of-a-kind gifts with the swipe of your hand or a tap on the keys. 

3 Ideas for Gifts of Writing  

1. Pretend to Be Employed by Hallmark.Send a card to someone who helps stir meaningful memories at Christmas. Is it the person who invites friends and family over for a cookie bake day? Or the one who reads the Christmas story every Christmas morning? Or maybe it’s the person who encourages you to brave the cold to attend your local Christmas parade. In your card, share how their influence impacts your holiday season. 

Write a Letter for Operation Gratitude. Although a Christmas delivery cannot be guaranteed at this point, your words of hope and encouragement are sure to make any hero in our military feel like it’s Christmas all over again. Share your faith story, offer true hope, and if you’re committed to praying for that person, tell him/her how you are going to pray for them specifically. 

Make Your Family Newsletter Shine.Many families write a yearly newsletter and mail it at Christmas or New Year’s Eve. It’s a way of sharing highlights of the year with friends and family members. But let’s be real. Some can have you searching for the snooze button. Refuse the snooze! Here are a few ways to let your love for words shine: 

First, make it easy on the eyes.Writers know that white space is their friend, as are well-chosen fonts. Choose a font such as Arial, Helvetica, or New Times Roman for the body of the newsletter and save your fancy font for the title. Avoid using more than 2-3 fonts per page. You might wonder what this has to do with our words. I say everything! A hard-to-read page is usually a non-read page. 

Secondly, refuse lame words. Write a funny (or meaningful) poem, share your top ten moments in a witty way, or give clever hints as to your ancestral findings if you gave Ancestry.com or a similar program a try. Did you move? Share the why behind your decision. Be vulnerable. Be authentic, not braggadocios. Is your family in need of prayer? Ask for it. 

And lastly, leave ample room at the bottom of your newsletter to write a prayer for that particular family or friend. 

Yes, emailing your well-crafted newsletter is the most common way to share it, but there’s nothing common about you. So print that newsletter, slap a stamp on the envelope, and mail it. Now that’screative!

What’s one of your favorite Christmas memories? Do share!

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3 Creative Ways to Use Your Gift of #Writing this Christmas - @CathySBaker on @EdieMelson (Click to Tweet)

As writers we have the ability to craft special gifts - 3 ideas from @CathySBaker on @EdieMelson (Click to Tweet)

Cathy Baker is an award-winning writer and author of Pauses for the Vacationing Soul: A Sensory-Based Devotional Guide for the Beachas well as Pauses for the Vacationing Soul: A Sensory-Based Devotional Guide for the Mountains. Cathy is a Hope*Writer and Bible teacher who has taught numerous studies and workshops over the past twenty-five years. Her work has been published in Chicken Soup for the Soul, The Upper Room, and Focus on the Family’s Thriving Family. She is a monthly contributor to The Write Conversation; Writer’s Digest 101 Top Websites for Writers. She and her husband, Brian, live in the foothills of the Carolinas with a beautiful view of Glassy Mountain and a soon-to-be tiny house. 

To connect with Cathy, visit The Tiny House on the Hill@ https://www.cathybaker.org. Become a part of the THH community and receive a free gift, “10 {Tiny} Prayers that Offer Great Hope.”The tiny prayers included in this pocket-sized publication might just surprise you!