Past Christmas Letters

Dear Friends, Twenty-one years ago, I sent out my first Christmas letter.  Upon reading it, I’ve decided to send it out again.  I’m recycling this old letter because twenty-one years later, the message is still true. A client of mine once told me he had no friends.  As we talked, he explained that he really had not time for socializing since his work was demanding and he was just plain tired when he went home.  He never partied, what ever … Read More

Dear Friends, Last year, my mom decided to accept an invitation to spend Christmas in Canada.  She felt it might be her last year to summon the strength to deal with the airlines during a holiday season. And sure enough, her flight was cancelled, a day was lost and her back brace set off every security alarm.  All that was forgotten when she arrived at Vancouver’s airport, hours late, but warmly welcomed by a Canadian family, whose Matriarch had gone … Read More

Dear Friends, Not all of our most memorable Christmases are successes and this year I’d like to tell you about one of them. My grandmother had moved up to Santa Barbara from the San Fernando Valley and we were all invited up to spend Christmas with her.  I was about eleven years old and thrilled to be spending Christmas in Santa Barbara. Grandma lived in a tiny, Westside cottage, thriftily furnished with second hand furniture and used appliances. The station … Read More