Merry Christmas!

The number of Christmas cards I receive from volunteers and friends has gone down dramatically. Is there a message there? I hope not.

Did you know that Santa was a Rotarian?

Quite a lot of us have stopped sending any Christmas cards at all. We give the money that we would have spent on cards to a charity, then send an email explaining why you won't get a card from us.

I say "we" but I don't do that. It's a good idea though, and it's "green".

This year I bought some lovely cards from the enterprise club at Samuel Pepys' school. It's a good cause, so I feel good about it, even though it was my wife's idea. I took the cards to work in order to sign them and put names on the envelopes, but I never actually got round to it. Never mind though, we can use them next year. Meanwhile they can go in the box with the ones I didn't send last year!

Speaking of being ethical and green; are we still using Amazon? You bet we are. We are panic buying last minute wot-nots like there is no tomorrow. Actually there isn't: Yesterday was the last chance for a "Christmas delivery" (Seasonal pun intended). However; we will re-use the packaging.

Who needs a present when you can get packaging like this?

I was delighted to open one of our Amazon boxes to be greeted by a yellow sunrise and some shining red tomatoes. The box had been usefully recycled and it is sitting and glowing by me now, which is more than the sun is doing. Its 10 am and still dark. I must remember to draw the curtains.

But how will I explain the lack of a card when I send you an email? Perhaps I should send one of those annual news-letters instead, with photos of our exotic holidays; news of our great successes of the year; our one-point-four kids graduating from Oxford, joining a law firm or marrying a double-barrelled girl from the Home Counties. On the other hand I could moan about all my aches and pains and tell you in gory detail about the misfortunes of all my friends.

So, please could you accept this Christmas blog instead of a card, or an e-mail, or a news-letter?

If you sent me a card; thank-you very much. It will hang cheerfully in my kitchen next to my to-do lists.   Even if you didn't; I want to say how much I enjoy your company and appreciate your friendship and I wish you all the very best for the New Year.

Merry Christmas.

From Jim