Time was

Time was when we received so many Christmas cards they were layered two and three deep on a string attached near the ceiling from wall to wall. Now, as we have come midway in December to Christmas, we have four cards: one from the newspaper boy, one from the new dentist Stephen went to see a few weeks ago, one from the Obamas (with a personal letter enclosed!), and one from Matt and Gina Ellsworth--thank you Gina--great pictures! But not to worry, I will pick out some favorite leftover cards we have sent from past seasons to add to the display. And who knows what the mail will bring today?

This is what comes of living in the same city for 25 years and from all the social media possibilities. When we moved to Knoxville in 1990 (Zuckerberg was six), we were fresh from five years in Troy, New York; before that we were in Seattle for two years; and before that we each had various lives in various locations: school, missions, and work (Salt Lake City, Palo Alto, CA)--as well as home towns. Little by little, distance did its work and connections were lost.

Of course I will get a few updates from friends who write Christmas letters, and I will send out a few. (I usually wait till someone sends me one, and then respond--so low!) But now with kids basically grown, the Christmas letter is a bit boring. Kids grow wildly every year, accomplish amazing feats, and do spectacularly funny things that are fun to synthesize with a few anecdotes and well-chosen words. Adult children are still interesting I suppose, ;), but it is no longer socially acceptable to tell funny stories about them, at least not usually. The things that I think are hilarious, they don't think are quite so funny. I guess an empty nest at Christmas isn't that great. Good that Mary arrives on Tuesday.