So Christmas has rolled around again, and once again it’s that time to sit down and work out how to make the Christmas letter a bit more palatable, and a bit less pretentious. Always a challenge…so, how about a quick and easy note form ?
Work – Chris’ new job continues to go well, with much travelling (including a swing of Boston, DC and Atlanta in four days) as well as trips to California, Providence and Tulsa. Sad to see Ryan leave FirstRain in October. Linda has taken on a new business venture, selling IDLife nutritional supplements.
Events – Tom turned 18 ! Can you believe it ? His actual birthday was a pretty low-key event, but a whole world opens up for him now, especially when we are in England and he can actually go into a pub and buy a drink (not till 21 in America). College beckons for him next autumn, but like most teenagers he really doesn’t have his plans sorted out yet.
Travel – Linda went to The-Back-Of-Beyond, Minnesota to see her god-daughter Ellie and their new baby. We will be going to Oliver’s christening in Knebworth over the Christmas break. The family had a short vacation in Canada, Linda and Chris touring Ottowa and Kingston while Tom stayed with a Canadian friend in Gatineau.
Fundraising – This year’s Tea Party was the biggest ever, with 100 tickets sold and 100 cream teas delivered. Inclement weather prompted us to rent two large tents, one of which became more of a danger than the actual winds we were trying to mitigate, and had to come down just as things got going. We crammed everyone in the lea shelter of the other smaller tent, and the day was saved. Linda did her auction thing for the Princeton ‘In The Pink’ fashion show, helped out at the annual “Paddle for Pink” dragon boat event, and we have done many smaller acts, mostly to help the fight against that insidious breast cancer demon.
Music – We have had many joyous moments this year from watching Tom in his musical activities. In March, he had the opportunity to do a short internship with the Manhattan Chorale which culminated with a performance at Carnegie Hall. He has thrived in his academic music subjects, this year adding Musical Theory and ‘The History of Led Zeppelin’ to his Chamber Choir discipline. He also joined the student run Con Brio A Capella choir, performing with many other talents at an end of year Coffee House Cabaret. Music will definitely be a major part of his academic future – whenever that might get planned…
Celebrations – We hosted a bunch of waifs and strays for Thanksgiving, including our good friends the Hermanns who come from Canada, and Hannah Colledge and her friend Kizzy recently arrived for a great working adventure in Manhattan. Christmas, however, is a different matter, as we will be heading back to Merry Olde England to spend time with the family, and maybe catch a Spurs game.
Social – Folly Avenue Film Club hit a landmark in our sixth summer season – the first year we have not scrapped a showing, and successfully screened the entire program. This year’s theme was ‘Colours’, and included Blue Jasmine and The Woman in Black. The high point was our special family night, when we screened ‘Frozen’ with Anna and Elsa, many kids in costumes, quizzes and prizes, games, and an ice cream bar.
Bad News – Not much, apart from Chris writing off his beloved BMW in a car accident in September. Luckily, the most painful part was not the accident, but the fact that he was literally driving the car back from a repair job, which had cost over $800. After several weeks of logistical wrangles and paperwork scrimmages, we (Linda) ended up with a new Kia Sorento, which is very nice.
And a bonus photos.....
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR
With Love From
THE WILLIMERS