You love em, laugh at em, and dread writing one. Talking about a tradition that is slowly disappearing, the family Christmas letter. My cousin does one every year and I always look forward to her Christmas letter or in the case of some years, the New Year letter. I used to write them and had fun doing so. I'd still do it but we are living a rather simple life which some might call boring and not that many want to be caught up on all the news.
" Dear Friends and Family, we bought more fox urine than we have in the past to help the Feral Family keep up with pest removal."
My father wrote their Christmas letter and each and every year, we were not disappointed with the tone or the way he took the letter. During the later years when my mom was still alive his letters took a victim tone. Not about her health issues cause they were staunchly in favor of telling no one she had Alzheimer's. The usual letter was about their trips, they only went to Branson, twice a year. All of us experienced PTSD when Branson is mentioned. Not so many good times there. Then he would mention all the work there was to do. Finally, he caught everyone up with going ons of his children and families. Glowing reports and accolades for Doug, Nancy and the girls. Then he would come to Roy and me....there was a lot going on in our lives too but while he didn't actually write this, the references to us came in the form of, "Well, Roy and Nancy are still on the planet taking up valuable oxygen that could be used by others." It reminds me of the SNL skit that parodied The Lennon Sisters on Lawrence Welk. Roy and me, well we be Dooneese.
I once wrote a Christmas letter and only sent it to my parents. It was filled with all the accomplishments of the past years like, Roy getting his MBA and then graduating from Law School. I was doing well in tennis. Then when I went back to part time work at church, I shared that a major part of my duties included pushing a coffee prep cart to set up for Bible studies. Now, why would I include that? Because since junior high, my father told me that the only work I was qualified for was being the ice tea lady at a cafeteria. Gee, I accomplished my destiny for him. Ha! Really, I loved doing that coffee prep, it was the clean up after all these fine Christian ladies that I didn't like. some messy ones. The other interesting insight into this was how some casual friends treated me as the coffee cart lady. Such an eye opening experience that impacted me and serving. Lord, let me never ever be like some of those Bible study ladies.
So, if I was going to write a Christmas letter this year, it might go something like this:
Dear Friends and Family,
2024 has been quite the year. It hasn't been an especially great year but it hasn't been an especially bad year for us. We acknowledged the tenth anniversary of buying our home here in the mountains. We had a great conversation remembering the homes we toured in and about the area. We only made an offer on one and someone gave a better one. Not unhappy about that at all. We found all types of homes that had great potential but we are thrilled at the one we chose and live in now. It was not on the market when we first began this adventure but yes, God's timing is best. Also, we bought before the housing market when bonkers in price increases.
We added to our family this year. In 2022 we brought in three kitties at various stages. All related as cuz bros and that has worked out, well for the most part. This summer we added three more kitties to the fam. Now, in my wildest dreams I never thought I would have six cats in my house. Lots of vacuuming going on. These three that we rescued from The Feral Fam were to be only rescued to look for fostering but no one was available. So, the longer they lived with us the more attached we became. Then we gave them names and I knew these three would be living with us as our own. So far, things are going well. Chubola is difficult to get to go to bed at night but we need to think of a different set up. Buster and Baxter go right in. The Kittos are such fun to watch even as they grow out of their kitten stage. They play hard with The Boys chasing laser lights, pine cones and toys.
Roy's gardening was successful this year. Had a good crop of tomatoes, plums, peaches, bell peppers, and apples. He has already began his winter prepping of his flowerbeds, waiting for spring to arrive. Of course that is several months away.
There have been some sentimental moments this year. I can watch these cats who live with us now and remember how they came in and why. Touches a soft spot in my heart. Even seeing pics of the two we lost grabs at my emotions. A couple of weeks ago I was going through a closet and found a bag of goodies I had bought at Penland's. But Hellene came though with a force and destroyed downtown Marshall with floods, so no Christmas shopping there this year. Marshall is rebuilding and that includes Penland's. I just knew I was going to win the $100.00 drawing this year. And I cannot forget Christy's Crafts. Her shop was washed away by a different river. After helping her community she began working again on her designs and creations. She did several shows. I don't think there is a room in our house that doesn't have something from Christy in it. Christmas has a strange feel to it this year with so much still in chaos from the storm and storm related set backs. I see others who don't live here saying pretty much the same thing that Christmas doesn't feel very Christmassy this year. Guess Karen Carpenter said it best, " I wish I was Christmasing with you."
When Hellene blew in, so did pneumonia along with RSV or long Covid here and decided to attack my health. It was the hardest six weeks of my life and I don't never ever want to see it come this way again. Thankfully, congestion was not a huge part of it but the cough that lingers is still unwanted. I am booting it out but still it remains. Ugh! I slowed down a lot, a whole lot. Gave me time to think and pray. Anytime I gave very much time to it I fell asleep. Heck, I fell asleep eating or sometimes when texting. Roy went beyond the call of duty in helping me get well. Now, I feel good but feel like I am a month behind on everything. Well. guess I am.
Roy and I are still teaching Sunday School at church. My class took a slow down in Genesis and we came to studying Acts late. Think we made it through sixteen chapters before ending in Acts 27. Roy slowed down, like really slowed down and taught Genesis. He didn't teach any of Acts. In big church we were in Acts for two years and then still had a hangover of Acts from First Baptist Houston days. The Joy Class will have a little Christmas celebration accompanied by some treats before we jump into Exodus. Have a game or two and this year I think I will spare the class a Christmas thought or devo. We only have about forty five minutes so you do what you can. Along with my study theme this year, personally, what I do is it because I am following God or am I doing things to make myself feel good about a situation. Really, it is called legalism but it doesn't make me feel good to say it. Haha! After studying that the Holy Spirit cut off Peter's sermon at Cornelius's home I'm making a point to be a little more conscious of being short winded.
Both Roy and I are trying to read more. He has taken up mysteries and I am just trying to read again for fun. I finished a Christmas book and it was okay. Lots of things didn't get resolved or the author got tired of the characters and just let them dangle in the wind, so to speak. I am now reading a biography of Suzi Spurgeon. Like it, mainly skimming it but it is enjoyable reading about the role she played in her husband's ministry. As I have been going through the bookcases and getting ready to take books to the Habitat store, I have found a few books that I bought and never read. Okay, I found a lot of books that fits the description but the point being, I've put them aside to read after Suzi.
Our hope for you, our friends and family, is to have a Merry Christmas even if this year looks much different from years past. May we all slow down and experience the extraordinary of God in our ordinary lives. There is much to celebrate in practicing that.
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