My writing career actually began with Christmas letters. The first one was such a success with our friends and family that I kept doing it. (BTW, the secret to a good Christmas letter is to keep it one page or less. People appreciate brevity.)
At one point, when I was completely on the fence about trying to write for publication, my hubby's cousin Amanda said to me, "I look forward to your Christmas letters. You are writing other things, aren't you?" She is now deceased, but I thank her lovely spirit every now and then for encouraging me to sit my tush in the chair and get serious.
The Christmas letter now includes a Christmas photo, which is not as easy as it sounds. We all go to the ranch, to take a group photo with two horses and two dogs. We used to bring the cat, may she rest in peace. She hated it, and wouldn't come near me for days after the experience.
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| Marcus is the only one capable of smiling through the entire session. |
We try really hard to face the camera and keep smiling while we wrangle the animals. We are not always successful.
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| Frostie really likes to sniff the dogs. |
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| The dogs tend to get bored with the whole thing. |
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| My job is to keep Snoopy from biting me. |
Finally, with a little help from PhotoShop, we get something we can use.
And here is the letter:
WHAT A CHRISTMAS! HO, HO, WHAT A CHRISTMAS!
These are the last lines spoken by a famous actor in a
much-loved but not crazily-famous Christmas movie of yore. (Made in 1945 and 10
points to the person who can name the movie.)
This year has been a
rollercoaster, both for the Carlines and the world. You can read about the
world in the newspapers. As for the Carlines…
Marcus is busy doing what
musicians do: chasing the money, piecing together small gigs to try to make one
living wage. Currently, he’s performing in two groups, an a cappella group that
sings in Downtown Disney and a nonprofit choral group that performs and teaches
in local schools. He’s also working a shift here and there at Cal State Long
Beach. In October, he moved back home, to save money and commute time. He helps
me around the house, so I’m happy to have him here.
Dale is still one busy retiree. He spent a couple of
weeks at Angels’ spring training in Arizona, where he got to volunteer to work
(ushering, parking, etc), went to Massachusetts for his friend’s golf
tournament, and schlepped along with me to a few of my events. When he wasn’t
on the road, he was coaching the Placentia Youth League basketball teams.
They’re giving him two teams now, and he enjoys helping the community. He also
golfs a little, from time to time (I’m trying to find a sarcasm font here).
This year, I did something
special for my 11th book release. It’s my 4th mystery set
in Placentia, so I had a huge party at my favorite local restaurant, hired
Marcus and a combo to perform, and made certain everyone got food, drinks, a
book, and some nice swag. It was a blast! In my horsey world, I went to a few
shows with Snoopy this year, most notably a huge regional show in Las Vegas.
Dale went along with me, and we had a great time. Dale also joined me for a few
days in New Orleans at a mystery lover’s convention.
Our family went to the
mountains, as usual. This year’s trip was particularly bittersweet. In April,
we lost our dear friend and fellow vacationer, Alyssa Barnes, to cancer. She
was Marcus’ age, so it hit about as hard as you can imagine. I’m glad we were
able to attend her memorial in Sacramento.
In 2015, we replaced
most of the flooring in the house, which now looks nice, but took almost until
Christmas to install, leaving me with a bleak holiday. This year, we got a new
TV and furniture for the family room, both things that took mere moments to install.
So even if the world around me is losing its mind, I have great hope this year
for Christmas lights and mistletoe, and evenings spent in front of the fire
with a nice glass of something good.
I heard a pastor
recently, speaking about hope at an event. After pointing out what we can’t
control, he gave us three suggestions: rejoice always, pray incessantly, and be
thankful in everything. So no matter how I work to effect change, I will always
be both joyful and thankful. And prayer never hurt anybody.
Wishing you all a Loving Christmas, and a Kind New Year.
The Carlines
No matter what you celebrate, or if you celebrate at all, we wish you happiness, peace, and prosperity for this and future years.
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