Christmas Cards

I've been creating my own Christmas cards since 2000, each December choosing a different piece of my artwork for the cover image (the above Venice balcony scene this year) and printing a newsy message on the inside. Composing the letter is more than a writing exercise. It's an invitation to take stock of things, to review the events of the year just concluding and look forward to what is to come. Any applicable major life events - marriages, deaths, births, graduations, changes of job or residence - figure prominently. But I try to add a few personal details for flavor and usually close with a reminder of what Christmas means to us (the reason for the season).

There have been years that I almost regretted beginning the tradition, only because it often feels like a lot of extra work at an already-busy time. Still, I'm convinced it's effort well-spent. I hope our friends enjoy our cards as much as we do the ones we receive. In the long run, though, our own Christmas letters are probably most valuable to us, serving as a permanent record more reliable than my faulty memory. I only wish I had started chronicling our family history sooner.