Margery and I decided to seriously reduce the rainforest destruction and only send Christmas cards to our non email friends. We are using the money we saved to help pay the Greek and Italian Euro debts!
"But how can I stand this electronic message on our sideboard with all the other cards" I hear you ask.
So here is an Origami instruction plan which might help. If it turns out to be a paper aeroplane then I obviously sent you the wrong picture.
Lots of cards this year mention how it only seems like yesterday when we were all celebrating Christmas 2010. Way back when we were 7 years old a year was one seventh of our lifetime. Now it is one seventieth. It explains a lot.
Margery and I are still standing although I have had a rather challenging 6 months with health and hospitalisation. This could bore you for hours and at my golf club (which I hardly saw this year) we now have a 5 minute limit on "my health crisis is worse than yours" conversations. Is it only men of senior years who abuse their friends this way?
But what of 2011? Some nice holidays with an increased emphasis on trying to avoid flying. You can have great holiday breaks in UK, but you know that. Next year we will help Eurozone imports by going on short cruises on the Seine and the Rhine. Travel there will be by rail.
I did go to Uganda for 7th time back in February and also spent a few days in Rwanda. We all remember so many bad things about that country. But I was amazed at how clean and tidy everything is. On the last Saturday of each month everyone is required by law to stop what they are doing and clean their streets. We were searched at immigration for plastic bags. They are banned in Rwanda! It makes a big impact. Most of our street litter is packaging.
The visit was to see the schools which HUGS has funded or is supporting. They have had a tough year due to drought but you can read all about this on our Uganda Blog at www.hugsinuganda.blogspot.com
Most of our Christmas card list friends are of similar ages. Maybe we really are the lucky ones. We started work when there were jobs. Our Educational costs were low or non existent. We grew up during times of relative plenty. We might have been able to start buying a house in our 20's. And we might have had final salary pension schemes to cushion us.
Todays young people have a really different future to look forward to. Few jobs, huge educational costs and very limited chances of getting on a housing ladder. Maybe as we approach the real meaning of Christmas we need to remember how tough it is for them and that we have left this legacy to the young. We have a great deal to be thankful for but maybe we should be thinking what we can do for those less fortunate. Love is the real message of Christmas (but don't tell the big retailers)
Very best wishes
Peter and Margery
