Tidings of Comfort and Joy

The word "tiding" has been on my mind lately.  I recently sent some holiday cards with the sentiment "Tidings of Comfort and Joy" on the front and then found myself wondering "What exactly does this mean?"   I thought "What is a tiding?"  In my curiosity, I just had to check out the definition of tiding.
Per Merriam-Webster (on-line):

tiding

noun

Definition of TIDING

: a piece of news —usually used in plural <good tidings>

 

 

 

 

Among the recipients of this card are my loves ones who experienced a loss in the last year.  I hope that the message of my card will bring them comfort and joy on an occasion that could be difficult for them.   You can see (above) a snapshot of my card.  

 

My goodness!  I am rejoicing now that I finally have completed this post.  It only took one hour....I am very much challenged where importing photos, etc is concerned.