Category Archives: holidays

My Favorite Christmas Letter

photo by haley 7

Fewer friends send them every year, but I relish the envelopes that are a little thicker, the ones that promise news in addition to a beautiful photo of your clan
I enjoy your tales from far away, your moving sagas, your job transition stories, and especially hearing about your precious offspring and their myriad talents.  No really, I do.
But one letter wins, every year.  These friends of ours have four children, as quirky and individual as all kids should hope to be. Our friend has a true gift, as his letter paints an appealing picture of family life without once describing his children’s accomplishments.  There isn’t a hint that his kids might be smarter than mine (and they’re smart!) nor that they’ve achieved that coveted parenting status most of us can only dream of—raising a teenager whose uniform doesn’t consist of a hoodie and earbuds.
Instead, their letter includes a list of 12 sure-fire ways to embarrass your teenager and the confession that their 2nd grader doesn’t know how to tie her own shoes.
How can you not love friends like this?
And yet, I don’t wait for their letter with anticipation simply because they share more than their successes.  I wait for its arrival, I wait for the day it fills my mailbox with its beauty, because they tell their story with significant grace and humor. Behind every word I read, every year, there is a palpable sense of love for their family. 
And that, my friends, makes for a lovely start to my Christmas season.
Let the letter writing begin!

So Far From Want

Who can resist the stuffing and the bird, piled high on the plate, with too many sides to count?  The whipped cream, the pie–can I have cherry and apple?–with a little ala mode for good measure?

In an article he wrote way back in 2007, Mitch Albom quoted Edward Winslow, who described the joy of the first Thanksgiving, in part, by explaining that they were “so far from want.”

So far from want.

Isn’t that us?

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.  I hope your plates, and your hearts, are full and very far from want.


photo credit: rfduck