2011 Christmas Letter

The yearly Christmas letter brings with it the challenge of summarizing a year in a way that might be considered somewhat interesting by some percentage of the people who actually read it. But what if it didn't? What if I did not bother to tell you the kids are doing fine in 4th and 2nd grade, that work goes well for both Shelley and me, that we got a new kitten and a new puppy? Those that care probably know these things anyway.

Now that my 41st Christmas is upon me, I've realized that a wonderful and fascinating part of Christmas is that every Christmas links back through the years to a wealth of special memories from Christmases of the past. This connection seems to go beyond nostalgia, tradition, gifts, and common memory and has a unique power that makes this time of year stand out in ways I don't really understand.

In that light, I'd like to present some random moments from Christmas Past. Some of you might remember some of these with me. Some of you will wish I had instead provided more details about the new puppy. Some of you probably gave up on this letter somewhere in the first paragraph. For those still with me, here they are:

- My dad tripping on the stairs in the front of the church during the Christmas Eve service and how quickly some old guy was at his side.

- Attending A Christmas Carol in Raleigh, NC with my fiancé Shelley and how we did not get any of the inside jokes

- Seeing the lights on High Street the first time each year.

- Staying up late putting together a train table because sometimes Santa does not assemble the gifts for you

- Trying to cajole a four month old Golden Retriever puppy and two cats to pose for the annual Christmas photo

- Attending A Christmas Carol on a fifth grade class field trip and being amazed at how the stage rotated.

- Hearing my friend Ross sing "I Want A Hippopotamus For Christmas" as part of the Beaver Hall Christmas Tape (I wish I could forget this one)
- Being forced to wear an elf costume for the 2nd grade Christmas play that, lets face it, was a dress

- Taking the kids to feed the ducks in Baker Park on Christmas Eve

- Unwrapping gifts from my mom that she had prepared before she died

- The smell of the new guitar Shelley surprised me with

- Being at home with my mom and chicken pox on Christmas Eve while my dad slid the Plymouth Horizon down an icy hill into another car

- Taking jelly cookies each year to an old man who lived nearby 

- The various family photo combinations that were always part of Prizer Christmas with my cousins, back when we all lived relatively close by.

- Riding in the firetruck with my grandfather as part of the Fireman's Christmas party

- The new traditions of smoked turkey, lobster tail, and wearing paper crowns from Christmas crackers

- Forcing the kids to wait upstairs for a picture before coming down on Christmas morning

Thank you for indulging me with me this trip through the years. My wish for you is that this Christmas season brings with it happy memories that will be unlocked for you in Christmases yet to come.

2010 Christmas Letter

It was midnight and the sun was shining when I thought to myself 'This would make a great opening sentence for the Christmas letter'. It's not every year that I start working on the letter in July or in Alaska, but then 2010 was not just any old year.

Sure it started out calmly enough with New Year's Day finding us sharing our house with 20 of our closest friends. The resounding quiet after they left lasted into February when we got all the snow that we could ever want, then got it all again a week later.

It only took a few weeks to dig out, then Shelley and I made a long weekend visit to New Orleans. We got to meet my favorite trumpet player, Leroy Jones, and learn how to make gumbo and jambalyaya. We got back in time to take the kids to Great Wolf Lodge in Pennsylvania in May for Alex's eighth birthday.

Our big adventure of the year was a cruise and tour through the Pacific Northwest with 13 Roths, courtesy of my dad (thanks, Dad!). We traveled by ship from Vancouver to Skagaway, then on a variety of trains, busses, and assorted watercraft through the Yukon and Alaska. This was such a once in a 39-year experience (for me at least). You can read about it in more detail and see  pictures here.

In August Alex (3rd grade) and Ella (1st grade) started at a new school. They both adjusted well and enjoy their new situations. Sadly, Shelley has not adjusted as well nor does she enjoy the new minivan that carpooling to the new school necessitates.

Not sure if it is because of some latent migratory instinct, but when Ella turned seven in October, back to Pennsylvania we went - this time to make some bears and other assorted creatures in Gettysburg. Luckily in November, my friend Joe brought his football team to Maryland to save us from going to PA one more time.

Along with these events, the year contained the regular ebbs and flows of life in the 21st century. Shelley continues to work at Westat, and will be going back to full time in January. Though she is not yet ready to give up her day job, she has become a recording artist and you can listen to some of her stylings here. Meanwhile, I continue with GetGlue where things have been going well and normal people have started hearing about us.

You can take a look at the virtual version of our 2010 photobook, or better yet, come visit us, see it in person, and maybe even make into the 2011 version.

Best wishes to all of our dear family and friends for the holidays and in the coming year!

2009 Christmas Letter

For those of you who missed reading our Christmas letter for the last few years, you will be happy to know that it is back. For those of you who figured we were done with Christmas letters, we're sorry to disappoint you.

Summing up a year in a few paragraphs is always an interesting challenge. Who is to say what should be included and what should be left out? Well, I am, since I am the one writing this. So there you go.

Since you are probably most interested to hear what the kids have been up to, I'll start by talking about myself. There is not much to say. I continue to work at a Web 2.0 startup, which is challenging and exciting. You can see what it is all about by looking at my profile on the site. Beyond work, I've been making an effort to become an awesome guitarist. I tell you this not because I am anywhere close to being successful at this goal, but because it makes it seem like I'm not spending all my time working.

But enough about me - what about those kids? Let me first tell you about Shelley. She continues to do statistical stuff that I don't understand. Beyond that she runs (another half marathon in May), teaches piano, sings with the NIH Chamber Singers, takes awesome pictures, write poems that sometimes rhyme, and has also discovered that she can draw.

Now for the kids. Ella started Kindergarten in August and turned 6 in October. She loves school and is not yet feeling any pressure about getting into a good college. She has a flair for fashion and can put together outfits that normal people could not even imagine.

Meanwhile, second grader Alex likes to read and play video games, but not usually at the same time. He has started taking piano lessons from the best piano teacher in the house, and is also working on his beat box skills. Basketball has just started, but I won't say anything about it so as not to jinx it.

We hope you have wonderful holidays and a brilliant 2010. We'll leave you with some random pictures from 2009.

Dear Santa - 2008 Edition

As they did in 2006 and 2007, the kids have once again composed a letter to their favorite fat guy.

Dear Santa-

Santa Claus, could you please bring me a princess bobble-head. And, Santa, could you please bring me some princess coloring books, too? And Santa, some feet pajamas, please. I would also like a furry i-Dog that is pink, please. A trumpet, please. I really want some more bath toys please. A box of M&M's that I'll share with Daddy. A hidden Mickey book for Daddy.

I have been very nice to my brother, Alex, this year. One time I gave Alex the controller to play Lego Batman even know I wanted to play it, but I just wanted to be nice. I love my dog better than any other dog in the whole wide world.

My house number is 2823. I love you, Santa Claus.

The end.

Love, Ella

---

Dear Santa-
May I please have a AT-TE Lego Walker thingee, an AT-AP, or Anikan's Starfighter for Christmas? May I please have an Imperial Walker and a General Grevious action figure that comes with his fighter? May I please have a green plastic light sabre with a hookey thing?

I have been very good this year. I helped my sister learn to read even though we didn't get very far because we needed to leave (it was a crazy Thursday or Wednesday). I also didn't bother my sister while she was writing her letter to you. I also gave her my hot chocolate when she spilled hers.

From, Alex

2006 Christmas Letter

As those of you on "the list" know, in years past we sent out a letter each December chronicling the year's events. Given that we're six years into the twenty-first century, I figured it was time we started posting this letter online. Since this blog is where we've been reporting on our family all year, it seemed like the perfect place. So here we go.

As we end another year, I can't say that too much has changed for the Roth family. We have the same jobs, the same house, the same kids, the same pets and the same haircuts as we did last December. This year seems to have gone by more quickly than usual and I am unsure of the reason. Despite the fact that Alex and Ella have become more self-sufficient, that magical free time that I think I must have once had still eludes me, and my dream of a three hour Sunday afternoon nap in my family room easy chair remains unfulfilled. I also can't cope with the fact that Wake Forest is going to a better bowl game than Penn State.

So, what did we do this year?

It was a good year for Ella. She started the year in a crib, wearing diapers, and relying on a "huck". All those things are now a distant memory. She also finished a semester of kindermusik, saw her first movie, played a season of U4 soccer, and turned 3. She is showing signs that art talent can skip a generation, and has become an accomplished colorer. Ella plays a mean game of Uno and is becoming a master puzzle builder.


Alex turned 4 in May and through the year his interest has shifted from trains to cars, or more precisely Cars. After seeing this Pixar movie, he only wants to be Lightning McQueen. Ka-chow! Despite having the busy schedule of a world famous race car, he finished 3 year old school and is now half way through 4 year old school. He also plays soccer and sings in the church kid choir. He also served as ring bearer for his Uncle Dave and Aunt Kim without a hitch.

For Shelley, being a part-time statistician, a part-time stay at home mom, a gardener, and a laundress was apparently not enough, so this year she took on the additional roles of piano teacher, assistant soccer coach, and soccer coach. I imagine this keeps her very busy, and I plan to ask her about it next time I see her. As for me, I continue on as a "tele-tester" for IBM, and got to go to Las Vegas in May to tell people about it. I am also trying to answer the age old question of "If you write a blog and no one reads, are you wasting your time?"

So that was 2006. I need to finish writing now since we just mailed the Christmas cards containing the link to this. It is nice how technology allows the last minute to be later and later. We hope you all had a wonderful 2006, and wish you the best for 2007.