A Christmas Card

Since moving to Singapore, I have to admit that I’ve not managed our annual Christmas card send-out at all. There’s actually not much of a card-giving culture over here; most people don’t expect it and there isn’t the plethora of charity card packs on offer that you get on high streets across the UK. I’ve noticed that every year we’re receiving fewer cards too as more people choose to send electronic greetings. Now, whilst I’d love a gorgeous paper card and personal message over a generic WhatsApp greeting any day, even I can see the point of giving my Christmas card budget directly to a charity rather than spending on cards and postage. So this year I decided we would give our Christmas card fund to a very worthy cause and have a go at creating and sending out our own animated gif card!

Yesterday afternoon was a bit wet and miserable so the girls were agreeable to dressing up as angels and posing on some leftover wadding on the patio table for a few snaps.

 

I subsequently managed to photoshop my dear “angels” against a starry sky, add a fairy-light message and string a few frames together to make an animated gif. Here it is!

 

 

As for the worthy cause… I’d like to take the opportunity to give a shout out to New Sight Congo to whom we will donate our Christmas card budget this year! New Sight is a charitable organisation that was established by our amazing friend Joyce (who is UWC, Edinburgh University  and PCCF alumni, and was in Elim church as well!), her wonderful husband Henri and their three indomitable children. The Samoutous are doing incredible work providing much-needed medical care in the Republic of Congo, specialising in treating visual impairment caused by river blindness, cataracts, trachoma and so on which are common and crippling, and yet often straightforward to treat if the resources are made available. They traded in a very comfortable life to step out and serve in the Congo jungle and we are both proud of and inspired by their example. They have great plans for the future, and are visiting Singapore next year so we plan to host them and hopefully organise a bit of a reunion for all you Edinburgh University medical alumni in Singapore. Please check out their website, share their Facebook page and support their great work!

Wishing all our readers a very Merry Christmas and wonderful adventures for 2016.