chesterh.com

January 4, 2009

Dear Friends,

Due to my laziness and a case of writer’s block, there was no holiday letter last year. I will not be permitted to get away with that two years running, so let’s play catch-up.

Since establishing our nest more than 30 years ago, Kris and I have looked forward to the day when we would complete the cycle and become “empty nesters.” The prospect has been tantalizing-just the two of us in a cozy space, living a life suddenly made simple and uncluttered. Although both boys are grown and educated, so far the only nest-like thing to actually…

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January 4, 2009

Dear Friends,

Due to my laziness and a case of writer’s block, there was no holiday letter last year. I will not be permitted to get away with that two years running, so let’s play catch-up.

Since establishing our nest more than 30 years ago, Kris and I have looked forward to the day when we would complete the cycle and become “empty nesters.” The prospect has been tantalizing—just the two of us in a cozy space, living a life suddenly made simple and uncluttered. Although both boys are…

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This newsletter may also be viewed in its original form as a .pdf file

Sunday, December 17, 2006
Londonderry, NH
USA

Season’s Greetings,

Today is the ideal day to write the annual holiday newsletter. Fall Sundays around here are usually dominated by football, the family room filled with rabid fans. Kris leads them in a chorus of cheers and expletives hurled at the television screen, a show of emotions that must be heard to be believed. During these times I hide in my study, performing tasks that, given the noise level, do not require…

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This newsletter may be viewed in its original form as a .pdf file

Sunday, December 18, 2005
Londonderry, NH
USA

Season’s Greetings,

Well, here we are again. Time passes so quickly these days that it seems I’m always on the hook for the holiday newsletter. It’s a struggle to remember what happened since the last one…

Baby Wells is now twenty, but I still find my self clipping coupons for Pampers. Wells is a sophomore at Plymouth State University in New Hampshire, though he has made it clear that he’d rather be in a place…

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Wednesday, December 22, 2004
Londonderry, NH USA

Dear Friends,

I could take the easy way out and end this letter in the first sentence by saying “This year was just like last year,” but that wouldn’t be fair. You probably don’t know about last year.

I think it was some time in early March, just after we had returned from another cruise — this one to the Caribbean with Wells and his friend Dan. I was doing the previous year’s spring cleaning when I made a startling discovery. I lifted my humidor to…

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The 2003 Holiday Newsletter (which was printed on extravagantly nice holiday paper) was subject to some special circumstances, as revealed in the 2004 version. These should be read in sequence for the proper effect…

Tuesday, January 6, 2004

Londonderry, NH USA

Dear Friends,

What could be more appropriate than to write the holiday letter on the twelfth day of Christmas, the outer fringe of the holiday season? Procrastination and rationalization are handy tools. Like riding a bike, you never forget.

2003 was an odd year. It seemed as though nothing much happened, though I…

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This newsletter may also be viewed as a .pdf file.

Season’s Greetings,

This year has flown by. More accurately, it sailed by. To mark our 25th anniversary, Kris and I took our first cruise. Although we were initially a bit concerned that cruising might not be our cup of tea, the experience was extremely enjoyable. Our first try at jet skiing was especially memorable. We should have tried it years ago. Oh well…

Kris is settling in to her new teaching career. Although her workweek is still incredibly long, she is sometimes…

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