So the struggle of the curate and her day off continues.It feels like a really precious resource, specially at this manic time of year, but somehow I rarely feel I've used it as well as I might.
Today, for example, I really should be getting to grips with that terrible thing, The Christmas Letter. For ages I wrote a proper individual letter (with a real pen) to most of the people on my card list, but latterly that has simply not been practical,- so I've succumbed to the round robin variety.
I've worked really hard to avoid the awful "aren't we a clever family" missives which sometimes appear through the letter-box, and last year we had a multiple-choice quiz, which seemed to go down very well - but now I'm utterly devoid of inspiration and am only too aware that if I don't write something today, the next likely opportunity is around 27th December, so I might as well not bother.
You might well feel that not bothering would be the wisest course, but I tend to feel a bit cheated when cards arrive with only the signature (unless, of course, I'm in regular contact with the sender)...Christmas is such a good opportunity to re-open communications with people you are sad not to see more often,- and this has been an interesting year for us, which I enjoy talking about.
So, bearing all that in mind, logically I have had a haircut, walked the dogs, done 3 loads of laundry and taken lots of plastic bottles to be recycled. I've done a wee bit of stocking-filler shopping, and queued for nearly half an hour to collect a parcel that needed a signature. Now LCH, HS and GK have departed for the second performance of the school "Christmas Miscellany" ( I went last night, so have had the first mulled wine of the season- always a Good Thing). The pets and I have the house to myself, Charpentier's Messe de Minuit is on the CD player...and I'm still not writing the letter.
I think I'll post some pictures from the walk instead. Lots of bare trees, amazing skies, and even a brief sighting of a group of deer. I did enjoy myself!
3 comments:
Mine is not written, either, if that's any consolation.
My letter was written last week, photcopied, the cards are written, envelopes sealed and downstairs waiting to be posted as we speak. Don't you just hate me! lvoe you. You'll get there. xxx
After I failed to write one in time last year - we have joined the "we are not doing one" brigade - partly because they have become such a chore to read and we think it has become an obligation which we would really not want to meet. But then again we have halved our Christmas card list this year.
I probably won't get around to reading 50% of the ones which we have recieved, and the list of "who were they" gets worse the more times we move.
But then we have always tended to focus on looking forward anyway so don't feel too guilty if you don't get it done. The people that really matter will stay in touch - or will greet you like lost friends when you meet them again in 10 years time - and that's the time to catch up on what the family have done.
Tom
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