The Best Christmas Letter. Ever.

This is one of the many annual newsletters that have been enclosed in the Christmas cards that I've received this year. It is without question the best one I've ever gotten. It speaks for itself:

Dear Friends,

As I begin to think about sending out Christmas Cards, the thoughts of "Should I do it this year…do I have all the addresses…I've never been one to write much in my cards, should I mention what my family's been up to the past year?..." go through my head. I begin to feel overwhelmed by the effort. I get tired of trying to organize so many activities over the holidays, the parties, the gifts, travel or not. . .it is all so much work. Many of you probably think similar things and for some of you, it's no effort at all. Unfortunately, however you look at it, I felt compelled for the first time in my life to write a letter this year. It may be a little sappy but deal with it anyway!

One thing is for sure at some point during the holidays it crosses our mind that another year has gone by and we never find the time to stay in touch with many of our friends and family members that we still hold dear in our hearts. It doesn't mean we don't indulge ourselves with memories of the people from our past that we never get to see anymore.

So much occurs throughout the year that sometimes we just don't feel like taking the time to send out Christmas cards knowing that our loved ones will understand. Through the years some of you (including myself) have experienced pain through the loss of a loved one, troubles within the family, financial instability, relocation or some other difficult occurrence. Some of you have experienced the joy of opening your home and hearts to adoption, giving birth, promotion at work, the excitement of beginning a new career (which can be a little nerve wracking too) or some other moment that brought happiness into your hearts.

We all have experienced joy and disappointment at some point with friends or family members but we can always count on one thing. The people whose paths have crossed ours and those experiences we have shared with one another, whether joy or pain, have contributed in part to who we are today. If only we had realized it at the time. Home truly amazing it is to encounter people in our lives that add to what we may be missing in ourselves.

Christmas is simply, a special time of year no matter what your belief. We all grew up learning the meaning of Christmas and how important it is to spend time with your friends and family while attempting to set any differences aside (often with our family members of course).
Maybe it's my kids that have made me sentimental over the years or maybe it's just part of growing older. Whatever the case may be, my sincere wish for each and everyone of you is to have a wonderful holiday season and may you discover and enjoy the importance of the people you once knew from your past, know in your present and will meet in your future.

Merry Christmas 2008
Joy to you and yours,