Christmas Letters

I have a love-hate relationship with Christmas letters. Every year we get them. I've been getting them since I first got married, about 25 years ago. I don't mean the lovely hand written newsy notes from friends. I mean the typed and copied year's end round up of the fabulous things the kids are doing, the fabulous trips around the world, including camel rides, and meeting Heads of State. An old elementary school chum who works in the diplomatic corps sent a note one year telling about spending the day with Laura Bush. I love hearing about friends and their lives. It's just that in the past, these types of letters always made me feel so...inadequate...unaccomplished...and well, mundane. My kids were reading at or above grade level, were NOT doing sports, and well...they made me laugh a lot. Great fun at home, but not necessarily Christmas letter fodder. (I exaggerate- they all had their bright shining moments!)

This year I have received a couple letters here in Tokyo. My favorite parts of these letters are the kooky personal fun stuff, like knock-knock jokes and a third graders' rendition of jingle bells...(He has two sisters, can you tell?)

"Dashing thru the snow

on a pair of broken skis

Jumping over girls

Crashing into trees

The snow is turning red

I think I lost my head

I landed in the hospital

And now I think I'm dead"

Refrain- (with Batman and Joker, of course)

My old friend Stu, who is now a pastor, writes beautiful poetry about Christmas each year, words that give me goose bumps. This kind of stuff takes the sting out of the regular fare of bragging about one's family. I remember early on, we received a letter that was full of almost every kid's high achievement, but then at the very last line, they added one sentence about their youngest who was in and out of jail. (!?) Then there are the clever ones: in memo form, outline form, financial presentation form. A year in short hand. Why bother? My all-time favorite one is a family newspaper in which all members of the family contribute articles, poetry, comic strips, photos and other light hearted features that really give you a sense of what they've been doing, and what they think about it. It is also sometimes (depending on the events of the year) a tad bit self-deprecating, a good humorous read.

My mother-in-law June, and I giggle (wickedly) each year about creating a Christmas letter parody, so shocking and full of bad news that it would only really be appropriate to publish in The Onion. We still may do that some day. (If you have good ideas, send them along!)

I will not send out a Christmas letter this year. Ironically, this is the first year that we have something truly exciting and interesting to tell. But you already know what we've been up to. Actually, I like to think that the years spent raising our boys, living and working in Trumansburg, going to church, becoming part of the community, and forging friendships were anything BUT mundane. How lucky we have been to enjoy good health, family and friends in an exceptional small-town filled with good people!

So anyway- we are all well. Chris arrives today, and we can't wait to see him! I'll post pictures of our adventures with the family throughout the weeks ahead.

Merry Merry!