Christmas cards?

If you are anything like me you are getting a mailbox full of Christmas cards every day. It is fun to get in touch with old friends and catch up through the holiday greetings.

When we first got married Adam and I discussed whether or not we would send out the annual Christmas letter. I personally am not a big fan of the braggy, my life is so perfect, blah, blah, blah letter. Sometimes those letters seem so fake to me, do you really buy it? It almost seems phony and embellished. Are people really going to write about what a horrible year they have had or how they have been fighting with their spouse nonstop and they feel like they can hardly get out of bed some days, I don't think those people send out annual letters. On the other hand, a letter peppered with humor and candor, that is something I can appreciate. With that as our goal, our standard was set back in 1995, I would take care of the picture/card, addressing, etc and Adam would write the letter and try to keep it real. It has worked beautifully ever since.

There are some of you who I only know through the blog. Well, it only seemed right to send you the virtual version of our Christmas. Merry Christmas to you and your family.

Merry Christmas. It has been a busy year for our family. It seems each year gets busier. This year more than any other we’ve found it necessary to place clear boundaries around our family time. In an effort to do this we’ve taken trips together and we’re more likely to let the answering machine pick-up than answer the telephone.
The most exciting news from our family is that Charlotte is pregnant. She is carrying another little princess and is due in late April. Charlotte and I laughed when the doctor told her some of the differences she’d find having a baby at an “advanced maternal age.” She doesn’t look to be advanced to me. In fact, she looks better than ever. This experience will be much different than when Emma was born nearly eleven years ago. We’re excited for the changes a baby will bring to our family. Each family member’s excited for a different reason but we’re all excited for the new relationships this child will bring into our family.
How are we busy? We’re busy with all that comes with having a ten, eight and five year old. Emma has now played two seasons of volleyball and loves it. Andrew played basketball, soccer and flag football this year. Laura enjoys gymnastics and all three kids enjoyed having parts in the two musicals at our church this year. We’ve found there’s always more we could be involved in but are trying to teach the kids you can’t do everything. We hope they learn that there are times when though something is a good opportunity you still should say no. Learning to say no is part of keeping things simple.
We’ve found there’s no better way to spend time together as a family than away from our daily lives and on vacation. Over spring break we took a trip to Cancun, Mexico. We had so much fun laughing and enjoying time together. We swam, we went geocaching, we saw iguanas, we swam with dolphins and much more. After Emma kissed a dolphin we learned that Emma is allergic to dolphins or the fish they eat. We still laugh and joke about different occurrences from this trip.
Over the summer we went to Colorado and spent a week in the Rockies at Spring Canyon in Buena Vista. We know we’ll have fun on a beach vacation, but weren’t so sure what to expect in the mountains. The beauty of the Rockies did not disappoint and we were quickly won over to all of the fun outdoor activities. We also stopped through Colorado Springs and after a frightful drive up Pike’s Peak Charlotte and Emma won’t make the drive again.
Our year wasn’t about trips, though it may sound like it. The year was about relationships. Though we can strengthen our family during our daily life, it’s often tough between all the distractions. We’ve found trips to be the best way to enjoy our family and bring us closer. I’m thankful Charlotte and I agree on the priority these trips take in our family.
If there aren’t enough details about the Scott family here check out our family blog, 50 Toes, soon to be 60 Toes, found at www.charadam.blogspot.com. We started it this year and have found it’s another way to keep everyone up to date on our daily happenings. It has been another way to strengthen relationships. Those of you who know Charlotte know she makes friends quickly; the cyber world has proven to be no different. It took no time at all for her to make “blog friends” from across the globe, literally.
We’re not sure where we’re headed in the next year. The possibilities range from Hopefully Hawaii to Oh-no Omaha. Wherever the Navy sends us we’re thankful we’ll be together as a family and we’ll continue to make great friends. Although we are together this Christmas we think often of those serving all over the world to protect our freedoms and the families they leave behind. Have a wonderful Christmas and enjoy some quality time with your loved ones.

What about your family, do you send Christmas cards? Do you do the annual letter and pictures or something different? I would love to hear about your traditions for the holiday greeting.