Our family's annual Christmas letter-- 2015 version

Every year I have my husband write up a Christmas letter to include with our Christmas cards. Since the kids have been born, and since I love them, I order photo Christmas cards from Shutterfly and we include a Christmas letter in each one. My husband has a knack for writing and he does such an awesome job on them. We have gotten several compliments over the years and people saying they look forward to reading his letter each Christmas season.

So I decided to share it with all of you out in blog land that might be reading this blog. 

Merry Christmas! Or Happy Holidays. Either way. Just try not to be offended.

As usual, the year has been an eventful one. I’d write a book about it, but no publisher would accept it. Definitely wouldn’t be realistic. No family ever has this much stuff going on, they’d say. Maybe a reality show?

The year started on an ominous note when all three kids came down with the flu. Then my wife caught it. Then I caught it -- the day before the Super Bowl, of course (which, if you don’t know, ranks right up there with Christmas on the Bill Calendar of Fun Holidays and Events.) It wasn’t a bad flu -- just a fever, complete lack of energy and appetite. On Day 2 of my flu, just as Tom Brady celebrated his Super Bowl win, my wife doubled over in pain. A trip to the hospital revealed kidney stones. She was in for three days, going through surgery and kicking it with the yummy hospital food, while I had a 101.5 temperature while taking care of three kids. By a miracle, we got through the week. The wife made it home, none the worse for wear. I got healthy. It took weeks of legal wrangling to undo the different contracts and bank loans the kids did while we weren’t paying attention.

Our cries for a respite from the illnesses led to the discovery of Essential Oils. When our kids started showing signs of a cold, we’d rub an Essenial Oil on the bottoms of their feet. The next morning, the cold was gone. I mean, gone. I had no idea these things would actually work, and I don’t know how they work. However, after much research that involved me thinking really hard, I figured out that these Essential Oils work because they contain microscopic gnomes that penetrate the pores and, using their extensive knowledge of Jiu Jitsu, wrestle the germs into submission, Ronda Rousey-style. I think.

Our annual summer trip was a return to our Honeymoon spot in the Smoky Mountains. Our cabin was a bit higher than my wife’s comfort level permitted, and at one point, the brakes began to burn out coming down the mountain. Fortunately, a Good Samaritan took my (panicky) wife and kids back to the cabin, while I got the van towed. One burned caliper and about $80 later, the van was good as new. I wish I would find a way to repay those good folks in Tennessee for all they did. Perhaps I will send them some Essential Oils.

The wife finally quit her job at St. Vincent and started her own business. She now has her own tutoring clients and has a pretty decent schedule. The business has been nothing but a success so far, as she is pulling in profits and has many happy parents. I have a feeling her business is going to explode in 2016. Not literally, because that would be loud.

Rebecca left St. Vincent and began going to local public school. As expected, she’s a social butterfly and made a bunch of friends immediately. She had her First Communion this year, wearing the same dress Rachel wore for her First Communion. She still plays softball every chance she gets. When she’s not doing those things, she’s got her nose planted in a book. She’s a rare combination of intelligence, kindness and positive energy and I can’t even remember what life was like before she was born.

The youngest boy Benjamin has begun preschool. Because of his autism, he was placed in an integrated classroom. He loves it and has made a ton of friends. (Appropriate, since he weighs nearly a ton himself.) He has fallen in love with “choo-choos” and over the summer we took him to Cincinnati for a “Day Out With Thomas.” He got to see a full-size Thomas the Tank Engine and got to ride in a real train. The look on his face when they unveiled Thomas’ face was worth the whole trip.

Jacob started kindergarten and loves it. He has anywhere from three to six girlfriends, depending on the day of the week apparently. The boy has fallen in love with football, and all he talks about are how teams are doing and who plays quarterback for what team. Lately, we’ve noticed his physical motor skills haven’t been keeping up. He doesn’t have any official diagnosis yet, but he’s set for a CT scan and an in-depth assessment through Children’s Hospital.

Jacob’s adventures with doctors led to some inner soul-searching on my part. In the past year, I was diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome, which explains everything from my love of numbers and tick-like movements to my depression and my unusual sense of humor (wait, what?) I continue to find peace, and have become quite content to just allow people to live and let live, rather than try to change the world. Maybe it’s the diagnosis. Or the journey with my family. Maybe it’s the realization that we’re all in it together on this planet, and the only way we can survive and be happy is to help each other survive and be happy.

No, it’s definitely the Essential Oils.

Have a great season!


-The Davis Family