The Annual Christmas Letter

Now I have always been one to write a New Year letter instead of a Christmas one. I send mine out in January in reply to all the missives that have landed on my door mat the month before.

December is always such a busy month with both boys’ birthdays to contend with on top of organising Christmas.

The thing is these days I keep in touch with most of my friends on Facebook and Twitter, actually my friendship circle has increased exponentially, people I will possibly never ever meet in person have become incredibly important in my life. 

These friends don’t NEED a Christmas letter; they have been following the plot the whole year through in neat little instalments.

The people who have missed out are old friends without internet connection and lots of family members and I still want to tell them how I am doing – am I narcissistic for thinking they will want to know what I’ve been up to? 

Personally I do like this little catch up ritual, just think of all the social history that will be available to future generations about how we live now.

The Royal Mail have put up stamps astronomically, someone told me the other day it is 50p to send a card 2nd class – oh my giddy aunt, can I actually afford to send my news out in hard copy?

Well I am plodding away typing, cutting and pasting the events of 2012 and I thought I’d better check my diary to see if there is anything important I have missed.

So far re-reading my diary has made me laugh, in the first half of the year the humour is dark and inky black reading very much like my old teenage “woe is me” diary entries…

2nd May – I don’t know why I even bother to write anymore my life is so dull.

31st May – Day Cancelled, feel CRAP, didn’t go to counselling

8th July – church BORING Tennis EXCITING New chicks amazing Victoria Wood – funny!!

Fortunately my life takes a turn for the better a few days later

July 11th - Pulled woodchip from ceiling – feel elated every time I look at it!

July 23rd – I am now the girl with the purple streak in my hair!

September 17th – Lots of decorating. Luscious Lime is gorgeous!

Now these are actual diary entries I have shared with you, word for word, I have only changed one spelling mistake; these are not available in my Christmas letter!

They do show me how much I need colour in my life and how this year I have really turned a corner. 2012 didn’t start out as promising as I had hoped on New Year’s Eve but somewhere around July I had a revelation.

Actually it was at New Wine that a particular phrase flipped my world upside down setting me back on the right path …

BETTER NOT BITTER

When something BAD happens, and let’s face it you can’t get much worse than losing a loved one, you have a choice to make. A fork in the road appears and your decision here can colour your entire future if you let it.

I was all prepared to write a post about this phrase at the time but I don’t think I ever got round to it so I’m sharing it here as I peruse the pages of Sarah’s Diary 2012. 

Remembering and looking back but only for an instant because I have better things to hope for …

… just hope I get a lovely 2013 diary this Christmas to record it all in!