A new calendar has replaced the old on my wall, and the busy season of holiday plans and parties has finally dwindled.  I don’t know about you, but I always breathe a little sigh of relief when the holidays are over and life returns to “normal!”

One of the things I love about January is that my schedule opens up again for time to connect with friends.  All too often, December flies by with hurried conversations and quick little greetings with friends.  We all understand, of course:  Holidays are busy, and all the extra family parties tend to crowd out “friend” time.

But January–with it’s cold, blustery days here in Michigan–invites me to linger over a steaming cup of coffee with a girlfriend once agin.  And with all the holiday hurry finally past, and the snowflurries encouraging indoor pursuits, I think winter is a perfect time to offer some extra encouragement to my friends.

I recently shared a post about some of the lessons that have helped me build more meaningful friendships.  In it, I mentioned the reality that friendships need time to grow:  Time spent together, but also our time in prayer for each other, time in offering little encouragements throughout our days. So today, I want to offer a simple and practical way to “pour in” to our friends and show them that we care.

I’ve designed four pretty little friendship cards that you can print from home.  And here’s the simple challenge to go with them:  Choose some friends you’d like to encourage and write a personal, handwritten note.  The cards are blank inside, so you can share from your own heart. Here are a few thoughts to spur your writing:

• share the reasons you enjoy spending time with them
• share the personality traits you admire/enjoy
• share the prayers you are praying for them
• share the hopes you have for them
• share a special memory you share
• share the gifts and talents you see in them.
• say thanks for the ways they love you well

Whatever you choose to write, I hope these free cards will help you brighten up your friends’ lives.  And perhaps in the midst of these sometimes long and cold winter months, you’ll find your own heart brightened too, and take a moment to thank the Best Friend of all–the God who planted these beautiful friendships into your life!

Grab some blank envelopes and then print your set of free printable friendship cards right here!