Over the past decades, I’ve always tried to write an annual Christmas letter to family and friends summarizing our family activities and highlighting our proudest moments. TODAY’S CHRISTMAS LETTER IS FROM DECEMBER 2003, word for word.
“Hello and Merry Christmas!
This year I decided to try a different strategy – get all my shopping done (almost), the Christmas tree cut -put up- and decorated, all my baking done (except the cherry cheesecake on Christmas Eve) and the parcels mailed to B.C. BEFORE I wrote my annual Christmas letter. So here are the highlights of this past year….
After my last year’s letter, I DID get the baking done and the parcels mailed to B.C. before everyone began to get sick. On Christmas day, we ended up in the Emergency department of the Kemptville Hospital with Melvin who ended up in the Childrens’ Hospital in Ottawa for 5 days in January. At one point, both he and Marty had pneumonia; Doctors thought Melvin had leukemia (he didn’t – just double pneumonia and whooping cough); then the next week they thought Marty had a tumor (the lesion on his lung was the size of a quarter and was a scar from Histoplasmosis, which we never knew he had years ago!). So that’s how our new year began!! By the end of January they were all back at school!!!!!!
Nellie turned 11 in January – she’s almost as tall as me now with beautiful long hair. She’s now in grade 6 at the same school in the little town of Kars that all her siblings attended. Darin turned 26 in January and he and Amanda still live in Ottawa. Of course, you’ve probably heard of their new daughter, Kalia Emily, who was born November 15th. She’s the cutest baby in the world – honest, I’m not biased just because I’m her Gramma!
Taylor turned 23 in February and he still lives in Vancouver – we are hoping that someday soon he’ll come home to visit. He still works at the same restaurant/bar, ‘Avantes’. Marty is now 17 and towers over me! A few months ago he picked up a guitar and hasn’t stopped since! He’s a natural!! He’s in grade 11 and doing very well.
Kristi is 21 now and in her third year at Carleton University. She still works in the ER at the Ottawa General Hospital and also for Foreign Affairs Canada on her days ‘off’. Her and Mike are still engaged and hoping to get married in 2005.
Robin (now 28) and Natasha (29) still live in Victoria, B.C. where Robin is still in school pursuing a Masters degree. I will never forget his first day of kindergarten – he refused to go and get on the schoolbus: he actually grabbed onto the fence and clung for dear life – honestly, I couldn’t unhook his little fingers, until the bus left!! Now we can’t get him out of school! Ha! Ha! We are very proud of him – actually of all of our children.
Our little Melvin turns 9 tomorrow! He’s in grade 4 at the little school in North Gower where all the kids have gone for the past 22 years. guess I’m the most veteran parent in that school.
During the winter, we still enjoy hockey games with our friends on Saturday nights in our garage/party room and skating on our backyard rink on the river. Spring, summer, and fall find us working in the yard. The pond is nearing completion with the stream/waterfall which we accomplished this year. Chris built a little arched bridge over the stream and several arbors/trellises for around the yard. I’m forever planting and dividing/moving plants. Our vegetable garden is being taken over with more perennial flowers which I’m trying to start from seed or find in a heap.
Well, I sure hope that you will come and see us sometime. If not, just write and keep in touch. Have a Merry Christmas and a wonderful New year.“
Grammomsblog 
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