Hasta la vista, sayonara, au revoir, auf Wiedersehen, 再见, Hágoónee’. Whether in Spanish, Japanese, French, German, Chinese or Navajo, it all translates to the same thing. Good bye, so long, outta’ here. And I might add, don’t let the door hit you on the way out. Right?
What can a 2020 year-end post say? I chuckled as I read letters received with Christmas cards this year, and suddenly found my inspiration. For the first time, I discovered a pattern I’d not noticed before and I wondered if they’d all stumbled upon the same template. “It’s been a year like no other. We were able to (fill in the blank) before everything shut down in March. Then we had to cancel plans for (fill in another long blank) and visits to (another blank). Instead, we learned (blank), cleaned (blank) and most importantly, found out how much we (blank). Lastly, I’m happy to say that despite all of the challenges, our (blank) is/are doing very well.”
Let me tell you, I loved reading every. single. letter. because it has been a year like none other. And these letters spoke to me. So my friends, here is my honest rendition of a 2020 Christmas letter, if I’d included one with my cards.
“It’s been a year like no other, and I never want to repeat it. Ever. We were able to visit Organ Pipe Cactus National Park in southern Arizona before everything shut down in March. It was nice, but had I known this would be the end of travel for the year, I might have chosen someplace far more exotic.
Then we had to cancel plans for almost all of the reasons we moved here (except the sunshine, of course). Clubs, concerts, dances, plays, movies, baseball – all gone. Golf and pickleball remained available, which kept Kathy happy. By June, she was promoted to Chief Morale Officer of the household.
Instead, we learned how to buy toilet paper online, sew our own masks, and celebrate Christmas on Zoom. We also learned exactly how many weather-related records they maintain in Arizona as we watched all of them get smashed, day after day, week after week, month after month during the hottest summer ever.
As a result, I had to clean up my vocabulary and attitude by the end of October when the weather finally broke and my days of being a pandemic shut-in were over. Plans to clean up computer records, boxes of photos, and drawers of quilting fabric all fell behind Netflix watching and cooking. Lots and lots of cooking.
Lastly, I’m happy to say our cactus are doing very well, even the one we had to nurse back after it got over-heated this summer. Yes, it was that hot.”
So friends, as I reflect on 2020 and get ready to kick it to the curb, I do realize how incredibly fortunate I am, and I don’t take that for granted. In the new year, I hope my social life moves beyond grocery shopping and that I’ll find new man-crushes to replace Dr. Fauci and Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
But most of all, I hope 2021 brings you happiness and good health. Let’s do our collective best to make it a year like none other, in a positive light. Let’s use the compassion and generosity we rekindled during a time of sacrifice to restore the goodness so many folks have lost this year.
Peace be with you.
Amen! I think Dr. F is pretty cute and will still have a crush on him forever! Let’s hope that he doesn’t have to work so hard in 2021.
Thank you, Joanne. Yes, wouldn’t we all love it if he could slide off into oblivion, for all the right reasons.
Enjoyed your wrap-up.
Thank you, for hanging in with my writing and for taking the time to respond. Happy Cruising in 2021, I hope.
Thanks for sharing your “look back” at the year that WAS! Happy New Year Pam!
Thank you, Sue. It was a year for lots of record books. Haoy New Year to you, as well.
It must have been hot to hurt a cactus! Good job keeping her alive. Happy New Year -stay safe!
That’s what we thought as well! Now we know more about cacti. Thanks for the response. Happy New Year to you, as well.
Same man- crushes! This is a delightful letter and yes, we received the same template from a few of our friends. Thanks for this. Hope to see you in 2021 or at least 2022!
Teri, thank you so much. Yes, I am betting our paths will cross in 2021.
Wonderful summary of a year to be forgotten. So many things, activities, dreams to be revisited. Wishing you and Cathy a prosperous and peaceful New Year 🎊💥👏🏻🎆🥴
Thanks, Ellen. Here’s to a new and improved year!
That was wonderful Pam and I completely agreed with everything you said. 2020 will certainly be a year we all hope to forget. But like someone who has wronged you in some way ,it is easier to forgive but very hard to forget unless you are knocked on the head causing amnesia or have dementia. Neither are
Good options! So we WILL remember -but pray we never see another year like 2020! 🙀
Thank you, Sharon. You’re right – we will never forget.
Well done. You are so right about the pattern of Christmas cards, and I salute those who were able to get them out. I still have a stack of beautiful cards and sweet stamps. I just found myself disempowered to write. But, hey, now that I have the right template, maybe I’ll give it a go. 🙂 Robb
Robb, thanks so much for reading and responding. It’s never too late for a Christmas letter, except turn it into another season or holiday. I had a friend who always sent out their family letter at St. Patrick’s Day. Glad you enjoyed it.
Thank you for your summary of 2020, Here’s hoping 2021 will bring us together in real-life, not all the zoom connections. And, may we continue to appreciate all the blessings we knew we had an others we discovered this past year. Hopefully some good will emerge from 2020.
Thank you, Judy. Yes, I am optimistic for lots of things in 2021.