The Christmas letter.

The Christmas letter did not even get mailed this year! Some friends got a copy via email while other family members had their copy hand delivered. I will spend tonight addressing envelopes and getting the VERY LATE letter in the mail.

Today, after returning from Utah last night, I found the plethora of Christmas letters from friends and family in the stack of mail Jim picked up from the post office. I loved sitting down and reading these wonderful letters. They made me laugh, and I even got a tear or two from others. My mother's letter states that my dad wrote the first French Christmas letter 43 years ago. What a gift and what a legacy those letters are. Now, I know that no matter how late my letter may arrive, I must get it in the mail before the end of the year. Traditions must be honored. Besides, I put too much work and effort in this year's letter to just not mail it out. Now, those who receive it can chuckle and know that I am still the same procrastinator they have always known.

My own children look forward to seeing who makes the news each year. Actually, making the news is not enough, they want to know who merits a photo. Amy gave me grief because there was not one photo of her in the letter while Keicha garnered two.

I sometime think I am being taken over by photos, and yet at the end of the year, they become such a treasured way of sharing memories made in the Christmas letter. It really does become a problem when one has the size of family that I do to decide what events, what pictures, and of whom, should "make the letter."

Christmas letters have taken a bad rapp by some. They say they are just bragging rags etc. Perhaps they are, but I think they are also a way we stay connected. They give us a glimpse into the lives of friends who no longer are near to us but remain dear to our hearts. They have changed over the years thanks to technology. We all can now send out a nice looking newsletter if we choose to do so. But this year, I found some of my friends have really gotten creative. Some letters look like something done on Smilebox or they look almost like a travel brochure. I love the new look of many Christmas letters. Perhaps next year, I will experiment with format etc. Oh, and next year, I hope to get my letter out on time!