The Christmas Letter

Is it your tradition to mail Christmas letters?  Well, we have tried to make it our tradition.  I don't know how I did it, but during these last few years, I have gotten my husband to write the Christmas letter.  He is an excellent writer & very humorous.  I figure since I do all the decorating, baking the Christmas presents & Christmas meals, buy & wrap the presents; he should write the Christmas letter.

For a while he wrote it every year, then he decided to go on the every other year plan.  Not only do we send out a letter, but I include a picture of the family or grand children.

I love receiving every ones Christmas letters & catching up.  My favorite part is seeing all the pictures & seeing how much the children have grown.  

Today was my day to put the Christmas letter all together.  I'm not complaining, but it took me 5 hrs to put the Christmas letter together.  If you receive these letters, I hope you realize what a precious gift you have received.  By the time you write it, by the special Christmas paper to put it on, maybe add a picture, then the stamp; there is a price to this gift.

My favorite Christmas letters that we receive are the ones with pictures & are short.  Sometimes all of our letters come across as if our lives are perfect, including ours.  It is one thing to be positive & another thing being real.  What I don't like are receiving a cards with just a signature on it.  These are so impersonal.  Oh yes, what about those personal business Christmas cards with all the workers signatures.

Oh well, here is our letter (written by my husband with my idea for the letter), & picture.  I'll let you be the judge.  We do hope that you have a blessed Christmas & Happy 2013.    

Dear Family & Friends                                                                                    Dec. 2012

     Most people don't know that the abbreviation for the State of Arkansas is AR so some have thought we have moved to Alaska (AK), Arizona (AZ) or Alabama (AL). Nope: we are in Arkansas, which, as we have learned, is NOT part of the South; they serve more cream of wheat for breakfast than grits-not Southern at all.  Nevertheless, we love being here because we have wonderful time together with Amy and Ben and his family.  Sunday evening is our usual family get-together and Nanna does most of the cooking.

     2012 has once again proven the old adage that "nothing is constant but change".  We lost Ann's father this year and he is greatly missed but we gained another granddaughter, Haven Joy Register; Lauren is a great big sister and Ben and Jenny are wonderful parents.  Ann lost her dog of 14 years and Amy got a puppy named Rio; he was supposed to be a mix of lab and boxer but, as it turns out, he is a lab and Great Dane mix.  Amy takes him for a run every morning and on weekends throws a saddle on him and rides him in the woods.  Ann lost some close personal friends to Heaven and started a Bible study in our Church.  We both have missed our friends and the beautiful mountains of NC but Ann has a new life with the grandchildren (Nanna is special; Grandpa is not nearly so cool) and Dave has a practice he much prefers over his old one.

     Amy loves her job but it is very challenging; she works with troubled teenage boys and does an amazing job.  Ben still has the same "day job" but in the evenings he and Jenny do private counseling, which is a blessing to their patients.  Ann passed her Arkansas Dental Hygiene boards but hasn't found the part time job she is wanting.  Dave is thankful for his full time career but concerned about the future of health care; he is excited to be doing some duck hunting with Ben.

     We wish you all a safe and meaningful Christmas season.

 Dave and Ann Register

ann :)

12.11.12-ps

found out today that stamps cost$.45.  I senat a lot of our christmas letters out with a $.43 stamp.  I wonder how many are going to come back.  Oh well!