By now, the cards have usually been ordered, signed, addressed, stamped and mailed.

The Christmas cards, that is.  For fifteen straight Christmases I haven’t missed a year.

This year, I just can’t bring myself to do it.

There’s a lot of reasons but mostly, I want to see, touch and love my people–my family and friends in person.

I don’t want to send my brothers and dad a 4 paragraph letter about the ups and downs of 2012. I want to tell them over coffee and omelettes.

I don’t want my friends in Texas to wonder who the new guy is in the picture. I want to take out my phone and introduce them to my son-in-law.

I don’t want to scribble a line about how much I miss a friend.  I want to plan a girls night and catch up over dinner and a chick flick.

Facebook and the annual Smallwood Christmas letter just won’t cut it for me this Christmas and in 2013.  I need my in real life connections to go deeper, feel stronger.

This is big for me, people!  But, it is where God has me. Craving connection and relationship like I crave ice in my sweet tea.

So, I’ve booked my flight to Florida to have that coffee and those omelettes with my brothers in January. We’ll see where I go from there.

Does this holiday season find you doing something different?