Thank you

Today

Had a spiffing Christmas. The girls were there, together with a friend of Becky's and we had fun, food and friendliness the whole time. None of this quarrelling after 2 days together in the same house, which is what the magazines tell us will happen.

After the Christmas apart last year and with all this year's troubles it was just lovely.

And I got some splendid gifts. Many of them showed a reference to my "Dear Santa" blog which does tell me who pays attention.

I shall sit down and write out "Thank you" letters early in the New Year. Even if you've been able to say thanks in person, nothing quite beats a written letter.

In My Day

When I was little, I rarely received gifts from outside the immediate family. I had no aunts and uncles (at least none whom we spent time with), nor a bundle of cousins. And our Christmases were always spent in the bosom of the family.

So I was never taught about sending thank you letters as it did seem rather pointless when the givers were right next to you at the breakfast table each morning.

Over the years I've much enjoyed the thank you letters sent to me by my neices. I say neices, because my nephews only sporadically thank me formally although the advent of email and texting has made it easier.

But the little cards I've received from the girls! Here are some examples:

After 2 consecutive years of managing to choose the right garments as gifts for one niece:

"If I were royal, I'd make you my official clothes buyer..."

From another, following a gift of a cool Monsoon bag:

"This bag is so cool that at school I've been making money by allowing my friends to hire it..."

And from another neice to whom I'd given a rather nice skirt and top, a somewhat belated card explaining that she'd spent a considerable amount of time videoing herself, using her phone, doing a sort ot catwalk display, but had failed to send it to me. (Later, when we were together, she showed it me on the actual phone, where she was doing a delighted twirl).

The thought counts, but the resulting gift shows just how much the givers understand you. Thank you all for your imaginatively chosen gifts.