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Location: Northern California

Monday, December 11, 2006

 

Holiday remembrances

Thank you for all of your hostess gift suggestions. Wonderful! I love all of your comments, especially Squid's idea that a hip flask would make a great gift for a stressed out hostess. I also got a kick out of my sister Barb's comment that one thing she gave up in her divorce that she will not miss is 1/2 of her christmas card list. Half-full or half-empty: it all depends on how you look at it.

I spent most of yesterday curled up in front of the fire addressing envelopes. Emily sat by my side for most of that time and "addressed" the dozen or so old notecards that I gave her for play. She was a great companion. It was raining so being indoors with the Christmas tree lights on and the fire burning seemed like the most perfect way to spend our day.

I realized yesterday what I enjoy so much about sending out holiday cards. It's simply the perfect opportunity to reconnect mentally with every person that means something to me. With every name I wrote, I conjured up an image of that person or family. I visualized their faces and remembered the last time I had seen them. If I hadn't seen them in the last year, I sometimes wrote a note on the card expressing either my desire to get together or my hope that they'll end up in our neck of the woods this year.

I imagined family members in other states or countries opening the card and expressing disbelief at how much our kids have grown. I imagined new friends happy to get a reminder of our friendship, even if they live only two miles away and I see them every week.

And of course, it was with a heavy heart that I realized I wouldn't be sending my grandmother a card this year; she passed away this past January. I badly need to re-do my mailing list, which is a hodge podge of handwritten addresses and scribbled notes, but I don't know if I can bear to create a new list that leaves off my grandma or other family members that have died. I don't want to miss these opportunities to reconnect.

Although I'd like to think that even without the aid of a holiday photo, my grandma knows how much my kids have grown.

Emily, her favorite outfit, and her backpacks
best holiday helper ever


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