Written by the team behind Puzzlify. Puzzlify is our product, so weigh what follows with that in mind. We've tried to make this useful even if you never use it. We're not affiliated with any church, denomination, diocese, charity, postal service, school, retailer or community organisation.
In some parishes, Christmas cards between members of the congregation never go near a post office. Instead, there's a box at the back of church through Advent. People drop in cards addressed to friends in the parish, and a small team sorts them by street and walks them round in the week before Christmas. The money saved on stamps is often given to a charity instead. It's a lovely tradition, and it depends on a few people with good maps and warm gloves. This short guide is about thanking them.
Below are a few ideas, plus an honest view of when a photo puzzle fits and when it doesn't.
What the delivery round involves
Every parish does it a little differently, but the work usually includes:
- decorating the posting box and putting it out on Advent Sunday
- reminding people in the notices: name, street, and the last posting date
- emptying the box after each service and keeping the cards safe and dry
- sorting hundreds of cards by street, village or round on the hall tables
- puzzling over cards addressed simply to "Mary, the one with the dog"
- walking or driving the rounds, often after dark and in the frost
- posting cards through doors carefully, without letting the cat out
- collecting the stamp-money donations and passing the total to the charity
Why a thank-you matters
People notice the cards on their doormat. They rarely picture the evening spent at a trestle table sorting them, or the volunteer who walked the long lane to the farm with three cards in a carrier bag. The round keeps people connected, especially those who can't get to church in winter, and it raises a quiet sum for a good cause.
When to say it
The Sunday after Christmas, or the first Sunday in January when the stamp-money total is announced, works well. A mention in the notices, a card for the deliverers themselves (hand-delivered, of course), or a word over coffee is often all that's needed.
Photos that work well
- the decorated posting box at the back of church
- hall tables covered in piles of cards sorted by street
- a bag of cards ready to go, with a round list on top
- a frosty street with a front door and a letterbox
- the hall noticeboard with the stamp-money total
- a pair of gloves and a torch on a stack of envelopes
Photos of the box, the piles of cards and the streets tend to work better than close-ups of people. Avoid photos where names and addresses on envelopes can be read. If you'd like to include volunteers, ask them first.
Choosing a piece count
| Pieces | Good for |
|---|---|
| 24 | a quick puzzle on a phone |
| 48 | a few minutes with a cup of tea |
| 80 | someone who likes a gentle challenge |
| 130 | a hall table full of colourful envelopes |
| 252 | a long evening, best on a tablet |
A close-up of the posting box suits 24 or 48. A table of sorted cards, with all those colours, is great at 80 or 130.
Note examples
- "Thank you for every card you carried. Half the parish got theirs because of you."
- "You found Mary with the dog. Of course you did. Thank you."
- "Thank you for the cold evenings and the long lane to the farm."
- "Your round meant our housebound friends still got their cards."
- "Thank you for sorting it all, and for turning stamps into a gift for the charity."
What it costs, plainly
The preview is free, so you can see how it looks before deciding anything. Publishing the link costs one credit (€3.99), or less per puzzle with a bundle. It's a digital puzzle, not a printed or cardboard one, so there's nothing extra to deliver. The recipient doesn't need an account or an app; they open the link and your note appears when the last piece goes in. One puzzle shared with the whole team can work well. If a card is enough, it is.
Ideas that are not a puzzle
- a thank-you in the notices or magazine with the stamp-money total
- a card for each deliverer, signed by the vicar or the churchwardens
- offering to take a street or two next year
- a hot drink and a mince pie waiting after the sorting evening
- a note from the charity that received the money
- a hand-drawn map of the rounds, framed for the hall
Where Puzzlify fits
Puzzlify turns a personal photo into a private digital jigsaw that you send as a link. It isn't a printed puzzle, and it isn't a public puzzle board: only the people you send it to can open it. It's one option among many, and it works best when the photo means something to the person receiving it. Please don't confuse it with puzzlify.io, Puzzlit, Puzzly or Puzzify, which are different things.
If a photo puzzle feels right as well, choose the posting box, the sorted piles or the frosty street, pick a piece count that suits them, and write your note. You can make one here.
Written by the small team behind Puzzlify (info@puzzlify.app). Not legal, religious, postal, charity, fundraising, safeguarding, data protection, privacy, photography permission or gift policy advice.