Here they come again,\u00a0cards and\u00a0even better,\u00a0envelopes\u00a0bearing holiday newsletters and\u00a0photos and tales of travels and details about what life brought and what it took away during this year that’s ending soon.<\/p>\n
I love holiday newsletters.\u00a0\u00a0I especially\u00a0like the ones I receive from people with whom I don’t exchange emails all year.\u00a0 Nor even phone calls. So this is often our one communication and it’s becoming increasingly important.\u00a0I don’t want to lose touch with people\u00a0even (especially) \u00a0if we’re not really in touch\u00a0(much.)\u00a0<\/p>\n
It’s the\u00a0time of the year for looking at pictures of kids and pets and\u00a0vacation spots\u00a0that accompany the stories told within these one or two pages.\u00a0 Stories are what I love.\u00a0I even like to read newsletters with stories about people I don’t know.<\/p>\n
\u00a0In the mail a couple of days ago, I got\u00a0the newsletter written by the husband of my very first roommate.\u00a0 I had the honor of being part of their wedding ceremony, back when we were\u00a0 barely out of our teens. She’s always been a good communicator,\u00a0so it’s a surprise\u00a0that the stories of their lives during the year are told by him.\u00a0It’s a side of him I hadn’t known before our paths\u00a0took different directions. \u00a0I don’t know who takes the pictures that accompany the text – but maybe that’s her part of this annual mailing.<\/p>\n
One couple I’ve known for decades – I\u00a0used to babysit their young children – are now grandparents who are in such close touch with every family member, it’s a joy just to read the updates about these grown grandchildren I’ve never met.\u00a0These are grandparents who can tell you about college classes and hopes and dreams and plans and romances of each of their multiple grandchildren.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I have one grandchild – she whose photo will grace my own missives when I get them ready to mail next week – and I have to run to keep up with the goings and comings of this one little girl.\u00a0 So the couple with several grown grandchildren, this family that travels from all over the U.S. and Europe \u00a0to\u00a0get together each summer for several days – and then includes pictures with their mailings – they’re\u00a0 my new\u00a0holiday newsletter heroes this year.<\/p>\n
Last season it seemed there was less mail,\u00a0and\u00a0I worried about the people who always wrote, but\u00a0then stopped.\u00a0\u00a0But this year, they started arriving earlier than usual, and there are more of them.\u00a0 I’m wondering if maybe this tradition matters even more during a time\u00a0when so many people have had to cut back on so many other things.<\/p>\n
Keep ’em coming.\u00a0 Your newsletters will all\u00a0receive a glad welcome here.<\/p>\n