Contact: Jon Hirst, Prasso Ministries, 719-362-5235, Jhirst@dotheword.org  

GREENVILLE, SC, Dec. 16 /Christian Newswire/ -- According to Hallmark Corporation, approximately 1.8 billion Christmas cards are sent at Christmas time. Laura Baker, president of Prasso Ministries, says that all that card sending can actually contribute to a form of holiday depression she calls Charlie Brown syndrome. "Just as Charlie Brown did with the little red haired girl each Valentine's Day, many Americans are sending and receiving cards in an effort to seek relationships with people around them who otherwise overlook them. When these relationships don't come through, depression sets in. Our focus should be on our Heavenly Father and looking to Him for our value and identity, not counting how many cards are in the mailbox."

According to Frank DeLeo, Hallmark vice president for retail product development and merchandising, senders are looking for gifts that have "emotional relevance."  Baker questions whether that might be asking too much from a greeting card or Christmas gift. "Christmas celebrates the gift with the most 'emotional relevance' of all, and it's no coincidence that God came to earth in human, not paper, form."

Baker continues, "If we find our mailbox or stack of Christmas presents lacking this year, we need to think about how God 'cared enough to send the very best' --His own son. The Christmas story tells how we were created by a God who loves us, and how he sent His son to reconcile us to Him. Real relationships require more than a card, a Facebook message, or a tweet."

Prasso Ministries is a non-profit, faith-based discipleship ministry committed to partnering with individuals in their Christian faith journey, helping them to establish wellbeing from a Biblical perspective.

Prasso offers easy-to-access help to anyone throughout the United States interested in finding the hope and victory that comes from knowing God and daily practicing His Word in their lives. Baker recommends getting started by going online to www.myprasso.com and signing up for Prasso Passages, a free daily devotional sent to subscribers' inboxes. For more information about Prasso Ministries, contact Laura Baker at prasso@mindspring.com.