to the season ahead

2020 has been quite the year for all of us! So this Christmas, I wanted our card to encompass hope for what's to come! Because we have Jesus, we have hope. I am so full of gratitude this season! The best is yet to come.

**Thanks to Artifact Uprising for another beautiful card!

OH WHAT FUN!

Since I definitely did not order enough Christmas cards this year, here's a virtual card from the Olives, to you!

Merry Christmas!

Merry!

Merry Christmas eve eve to all! We cheated a little this year and used a year old photo from last Decembers NYC shoot with our fav fabianephotography for our Christmas card. I think it was a good decision. :) There's a lot to be thankful for, but above all is this: the best is yet to come BECAUSE Jesus was born over 2,000 years ago. 

Merry & Blessed

P E A C E

This year, I had doubts.

Doubts that we'd have a Christmas card I'd actually like because the weeks went by and our plan A and plan B totally failed for getting them ready by the first week of December. From rainy weather to bad lighting ideas...we were struggling to get a decent photo. I'm not sure how it happened but 10 days before Christmas a peace came over me about the whole thing. I asked if our good friend Fabz could edit some options we took on our Canon self timer trials (sounds like a movie, doesn't it!?) and of course we loved how they came out!

Our little tree is a favorite part of our card, and has been quite the eye opener for me this year for several reasons. One, I realized I really don't love trees THAT small. Two, not having a big tree does not equal a terrible Christmas. Three, it's all gonna be ok because Jesus = Christmas! Duh! And four, G really likes having a little tree, of course. lol I'll be honest, I was in tears the night we got and decorated our tree because I felt so underwhelmed by it. I mean, I literally told G we needed to get a huge sign that read JESUS in bold letters so I could look at it and not feel sad when I cam home. 

LOLOL

Yes, I was really in my feelings that night! But G..my best love who knows how to calm me down when I'm being dramatic and pure crazy. I was so upset about the tree and let it take away the joy and meaning of Christmas just like that. So after a long talk and cuddles, I snapped out of it...eventually. But the best part is when I look at our tree now I don't only see a pretty tree, I see Jesus because it reminds me the reason we got the tree int he first place - to remind us of love coming down on Christmas and SAVING US. And that, that is the reason for our hope, joy and peace in season and out of season. 

And this is the reason we had to feature our little tree in our Christmas card this year. We love it! And we could not have done it in time without Artifact Uprising + 2 day shipping! :) Also, thanks again to our sweetest friend Fabz for editing these for us! She's the best. Check out her work HERE!

Outtakes that didn't make the card, but we love all the same --

*see our previous Christmas cards here: Years 2011, 2012 and 2013 / 2014 / 2015

A Thrill of Hope!

Merry Christmas! Love, The Olives

joyeux

I LOVE our Christmas card this year because it is so fitting of the past 365 days. We choose this card for many reasons. For one, we've traveled more than ever this year so finding something in French reflected that highlight for us. Two, in the stresses and trails God has continued to guide us back to more and more joy. In many ways this was our hardest, but best year. In the studying, traveling, landing new jobs, leaving old jobs, struggling to find a church to call home, working out our marriage and faith - in it all, God gave joy and hope. So we love this card! It's a testimony to God's great goodness and love. And for the first time, the front doesn't read "Merry Christmas" like the last three do. Sweet victory! (see our 2011, 2012, and 2013 Christmas cards HERE)

Hey Myra! She loves getting in on the holiday action.

Since I probably won't be getting back to the blog until then, Merry Christmas everyone! Our hearts desire is for the love of Christ to always bring you joy, in the struggling and the prospering. We thank you Jesus for hope, for joy, and for salvation in You. For becoming a man and relating to us in the most personal way possible. Emmanuel, God with us; we love you.

our dearest Christmas postcard

Every year since we've been married I have loved the idea of sending out Christmas cards to our friends & family, and every year we've (by we, I do mean I've) loved coming up with ideas & doing them! There are always so many ideas for what to do running through my mind, but I know that for me it's better to process ideas with other creative people for the ideas to become reality.

Well, the drama this year to make this years postcard happen was a little much, even for me! The day we chose to take them with our friend Bri, it was in the single digits & my grand idea was for us to take the picture in front of the lake where we usually spend lots of time in the Summer. Coats off, of course. Well it was freezing - & by freezing I mean by the time the 2 minutes were up of taking pics, because that was all we could handle, we couldn't feel our figures. Well, all the pictures came out dark. I sent them to Fabz to see if she could save them, & she did a great job lightening them, but at the end of the day they were too grainy to use.

So, back to square one! I had the idea to ask the lovely Camilla to take a picture for us during our road trip. After I got a bit furious with G due to wardrobe malfunctions - we did have a blast! lol. It was not overcast at all like I had hoped, so after changing our layout a couple times we decided on a picture and wording.

So much drama, just for a picture on a postcard - but each has been so special to us even when they don't come out exactly how I'd planned, like this one & year 1's. But Lord willing, we've got lots more to take & I for one am super exited about that! G, I don't think is as excited. lol

Year 3: 2013

Year 2: 2012

Barbs was so sweet helping me finish these last minute! I love the way they came out & their probably my favorite so far.

Year 1: 2011

 

Things I just noticed about all our cards:
  1. The photos were all taken by our friends (will definitely keep that tradition going!)
  2. They are all DIY, for the most part.
  3. & they all say Merry Christmas in the front! (& that was never what I originally had planned lol)

Although Christmas is not about Christmas postcards, making them is a project I look forward to every year as we celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ - our Savior! I love the sweet joy that celebration brings. Cheers!

Love, t Olive