Holiday Letters Are In Process

December 18:

These days, we are in process of sending our Annual Holiday Letter to Family and Friends. This is the 10th in 11 years. While the Letter is surely written as a means of catching up, it is also a marker for us to reflect on our growing journeys over a given period of time. We "write to learn".

For many, this is the one time of the year we connect with Precious Folks who have been and always will be interwoven into our lives in cherished ways. Up until this time, I had been the principal writer, fusing our ideas into one cohesive piece. We always considered the Happenings in the World around us, sharing our Discoveries and our Hopefully Humble Steps along the Path.

This letter was tough to write because of the turmoil in the World, changes and hardships People are experiencing, changes we Humans must surely make, Enormity of Unknowns, and Diversity of Views. Where to begin?

I started the process but just couldn't get it launched. In fact the spirit of my preliminary draft was quite dreadful, which surely was not our intent. We set that draft and "stuckness" aside. Someone else needed to write it.

Oh, Ye Wise and Energetic One: Melanie took the lead this year. At her suggestion with which we heartily agreed, the 2008 Letter should focus on the Hope we see in our daily lives. This had, after all, been the focus of our Letters over the years and the focus of our lives. Regardless of the time, Hope is there for all of us. We just need to open our eyes.

Cutting back on cost was an issue, but not on quality. We eliminated Color in the Printing and went to Black and White. We considered reducing the list because, at over 300, it is voluminous. We concluded that of all the years, it was more important to keep in touch this year. A silver lining of such times is Community and Caring which are basics of Hope.

We also wanted a softer and gentler touch. The letter should have a handwritten feel when held in the hands of the Receiver, something rarely experienced in these times. Rather than a mechanical letter in "Georgia" font with 12 point type which is my favorite, Melanie wrote the letter in her own hand which is beautiful. I added playful pen and ink embellishments which I love to do.

We also did not want the letter to be written in a mass produced way but rather touched personally and uniquely to those we love. When each letter was prepared for the Receiver, we held them in our Hearts, as if they were sitting right there. I added "coloring" with my cherished Colored Pencils. Rachel and Maria joined me on that playful adventure. I think that in one of the renditions, Rachel gave us blue hair. I can assure you that has not happened yet and not expected soon. But anything is possible.

You could consider the letter a "Coloring Book". I would surely encourage any Receiver to add their own touches. We Adult Humans have forgotten to play. We need to color more and we need to color Outside the Lines.

So the sending process began. Richard took the lead on addressing envelopes. That's a very big job considering the creativity found in my Address Book. We are addressing each letter to the Receiver, writing brief notes and signing them.

Alongside, we have cups of Tea. Chili is waiting in the wings. Outside, we have beautiful snowy days. We seem to be living in a Snow Globe. Cardinals, Juncos, Blue Jays, Quail are munching on food Richard set out for them. White Tailed Deer emerge from the Trees to feed on the Corn and Sunflower Seeds too. It seems a perfect setting to be spending time with Friends.

We have made our way down to the G's. Life is good.