Here was another Christmas letter I began:
The gifts are wrapped, and soup is on the stove. All the guests are scurrying about shopping for the gifts they didn’t want to bring on the airplanes. Scott is out absorbing the Christmas atmosphere. He never gets into the mood until noon on December 24. He reminds me of Grandma—we kids spent so many hours in the car on our way to Grandma’s house because Mother had “to pick up a few things.” I’ve been thinking about Christmas Past as Christmas Present abruptly settled upon us. Since Saturday, LaFramentas have been flying across the continent for a Reunion here in Sonoma. River will be with his Auntie Charmi and Uncle John, his mom and dad, his grandma and grandpa in his daddy’s childhood home. Joining us are Paige (our exchange student from NYC), husband Eddie, and son Theo. Their Danish friends and Candice’s San Diego friends will share more of the vacation with us.
So Christmas Present looks a little different—two days to prepare means a “toddler tree”, fewer packages, and no cookies. Charmi will be making us vegan cupcakes later today, and we hope the little boys adapt to Pacific Standard Time quickly. They are such cute little guys; what a pleasure to share this holiday season with them! Grandma and Glenn are with Steve’s family in San Antonio and Carole plays hostess to her large family in Denver. I think of our Christmases in the past, in San Francisco, Novato, Chicago, Tucson, and then Sonoma and Gainesville, and last year, Toronto. So many dear ones at all those parties—scattered about the country now, and many of those in Mom’s generation “passed on.” This is the Christmas to follow the younger ones.
Now, from the vantage point of mid-January, I want to comment on how magical the holiday was. Ten families intermingled, seven from out of town. There was conversation, food, laughter, gifts, and wonderful wine. We spent a lot of time at the children's playground in Sonoma's Plaza--the two boys from NY and Toronto were delighted to be on swings again, and to feed the ducks in the pond. Train Town was a real draw, as well. Are all little boys hard-wired to love trains and engines? Adults visited the wineries and Jack London Historic State Park. The charm of the town where Scott and I decided to settle and raise a family was evident as a destination for a Christmas reunion. For you HGTV viewers or web browsers, check out the Sweepstakes House. It's across the street from our first home on 5th Street East. Happy New Year to you all!