Saturday December 7 2019

As I wake up, I realise immediately that Lois is not here in our bed. I later find out that she has not slept very well due to a bad stomach - the poor thing. And that she crawled out of bed in the middle of the night and hopped up into the old double bed in our daughter Sarah's old room.

08:30 I rush into the kitchen and make two cups of tea. I take them up to Sarah's old room and Lois and I stay in bed for a few minutes while I drink my tea - Lois takes only one sip of hers, poor thing! Her bad stomach means we have to cancel our plans to have lunch with the other members of Lois's sect today at an old pub (The Shutters Inn) in the little village of Gotherington.

This unexpected situation leaves me with mixed emotions, I have to say. I have been looking forward to trying the pub's Christmas menu, but on the other hand, I do not do well in social situations, especially with members of Lois' sect, even though they are all very nice people. I always feel a little uncomfortable, which is a bit of a shame and I prefer it if it's just me and Lois. But I have learned over the years how to best handle the stress and "stay zen".

Flashback to December 2018 and the sect's last Christmas lunch

12:00 It's me making lunch for once - two servings of poached eggs on toast, one of my signature dishes ha ha! But later in the day, Lois starts to feel a little better, and it’s she who makes dinner - baked potatoes, corn beef and peas, actually another one of my signature dishes, but I’m going to let that one slide, because I'm actually glad that her bad stomach has hopefully begun to pass off.

13:00  I go to bed to take a giant afternoon nap while Lois settles down in the living room to watch two American Christmas TV movies in a row. Good grief, what madness !!! But it seems to be doing her good, and she's obviously feeling a little better by the end of the second movie, which is nice.

The first movie, starring Leslie Nielsen, whom we both like, avoids the usual clichés, which is nice, says Lois.

In the second more conventionally sentimental Christmas movie, Lois discovers a new cliché of the genre: the woman who starts her own business from home as someone who plans other people's Christmas holiday season, weddings, and other festive occasions on their behalf - the people themselves are too busy , it seems. There was such a woman in one of last week's films, and another woman trying out this kind of profession pops up again today, which is nice.

16:00 I get up and make two cups of tea, and hand one to Lois, who is still sitting on the couch, bathed in a wave of sentimentality as she sees the film's heroine repeatedly fail to “get it on” with her dream man - yikes! My god, what madness !!!!

In the meantime, I sit down with the computer in the dining room and print out two lists of names and addresses: the people we send Christmas cards to regularly. My list is significantly shorter than Lois's, thank goodness – the two lists are 6 pages and 10 pages long respectively.

Lois has a lot more friends than me - because she's basically a much nicer person ha ha ha! But on the other hand, I score points because I have many more relatives - my mother was one of 9 children, growing up in the 1920’s and 1930’s in her hometown of Bridgend in South Wales. Her generation is all gone now - the last of them, my Auntie Bobby, sadly died earlier this year: the end of a long, long era, to put it mildly, an era that started in 1906 with the birth of my oldest uncle, John .

Christine, Elizabeth, Alan, and John

Susan and Maria

Flashback to June 2019: I meet up with some of my many cousins ​

after the funeral of my Auntie Bobby: the end of a long era.

The bottom line is, that I have a lot of cousins ​ ​​that I send Christmas cards to.

I choose 4 photos I can enclose with the cards: one of Lois and me as a couple (one of my clumsily taken selfies - yikes embarrassing ha ha ha !!!!), two of us with my sister Gill at a restaurant in Oxford a month ago, and two photos of our 2 daughters, Alison and Sarah, with their families.

And I decide which Christmas cards to attach which pictures to (f any). It doesn't make sense to attach pictures of our daughters' families if the recipient has never met them ha ha! And it doesn't make sense to attach pictures of ourselves if we have personally seen the recipient at one time or another during the past two years, for example ha ha!

No, it's not exactly rocket science is it ha ha ha!

Pictures of my sister Gill will only interest my cousins, ​​who will not have seen here in decades: she is possibly the youngest of the whole bunch of them or thereabouts, and she never attends get-togethers: she is known as the "forgotten cousin" ha ha!

one of my clumsy selfies, designed for recipients

who haven't seen us in years

our daughter Alison's family at Wembley Stadium

me (left) at a beach cafe, with our daughter Sarah's family in Australia

pictures of us with my little sister Gill, the family's "forgotten cousin" ha ha!

Job done - "simples" !!!! But there is the bigger job left - to write in the cards and send them: yikes !!!!! But that will be for another day.

I have decided not to write a Christmas newsletter this year - I will leave that sort of thing for next year when we visit Sarah and her family in Australia again.

When I decide to print or not to print a Christmas letter each year, however, I must not forget that my actions have a certain, if only minimal, impact on our country's (and thus the world's) economy. According to the so-called butterfly effect, a butterfly flapping its wings somewhere in the world can start what later, and far away, turns into a hurricane ...

I am reminded of what happened when, many years ago, the American Dunbar family decided to stop publishing a print version of the family newsletter, moving to an exclusively web distribution model.

The American family Dunbar, who many years ago, decided to

discontinue their Christmas letter printed version.

The newsletter's editor-in-chief, Phillis Dunbar, sent a statement at that time via email, if I remember rightly.

"In a rapidly changing Christmas letter landscape, the printed word has become a less effective way to keep you informed of the Dunbar family's news," she said. However, she assured a readership of more than 60 friends and family members that the December bulletin would remain the most reliable source for updates on Nathan's progress in school, pet purchases and pet deaths and family travel plans, etc. (report Onion News on 3 December 1999).

"Even as we take steps to expand our online presence, we have not forgotten our basic principles of journalistic integrity and holiday cheer. We are very proud of our digital edition and we believe you will like it too."

Sources later confirmed that the Dunbar family, as part of their transition to the digital age, had eliminated approx. 37 jobs, and, less than 10 years later, had started a new global economic recession. The rest is history.

Good grief, what a crazy world we live in !!!!!

20:00 After dinner, Lois and I settle in the living room and watch some television.

And while watching TV, Lois begins to browse through some of her latest family history newsletters. She receives monthly newsletters from various county family history groups where her ancestors lived at one time or another, including Oxfordshire, which is her main focus.

She discovers that former pop star Donnie Osmond has ancestors in the county, and his family tree has actually been published on the Mormon Church's genealogical site, which Lois finds very interesting - someone has written an article about it in the newsletter, she says.

21:00 We see the latest episode in Ken Burns' series on the history of American country and western music. This 5th episode covers the period from 1964-1968.

An interesting programme, although Lois and I would rather hear entire songs, instead of 10-second excerpts, plus all the 20-second sound bites and comments from hundreds of "talking heads", but I’m going to let that one slide.

It is a bit peculiar how religious all these singers were and how many religious songs they wrote, given their alcoholism and all the broken marriages and sexual infidelity that characterized their lives. Typically, the men all went out on Saturday night to get drunk, and on Sunday morning, some woman, their mother or their wife or girlfriend, would pull them out of bed to go to church. What madness !!!!

Lois agrees with them 100 % on their theology, but she doesn't like their lifestyle very much, I have to say. What a crazy world we live in !!!!

Johnny Cash: songs about religion and songs about meaningless violence

wrapped up in the same package !!

Tonight we see a lot of Johnny Cash. And Lois and I didn't know that Bob Dylan was a close friend: we see them both sitting around a piano in some flat or other, singing one of Cash's songs - Dylan knew the lyrics much better than Cash himself, it seems: no surprise there, to put it mildly, considering Cash's prodigious drug and alcohol intake:  good grief!

22:00 We go to bed: separate beds in case Lois has stomach problems again - yikes !!!!!

ZZZZZZZZZZ !!!!

Danish translation: lørdag den 7. december 2019

Da jeg vågner, indser jeg umiddelbart, at Lois ikke er her i vores seng. Jeg finder senere ud af, at hun ikke har sovet særlig godt på grund af en dårlig mave – staklen.  Og det, at hun krøb ud af sengen midt i natten og hoppede op i den gamle dobbeltseng i vores datter Sarahs gamle værelse.

08:30 Jeg skynder mig ind i køkkenet og laver to kopper te. Jeg tager dem med op på Sarahs værelse og vi bliver liggende i sengen i nogle minutter, mens jeg drikker min té – Lois tager kun en tår af hendes, staklen!  Hendes dårlig mave betyder, at vi må aflyse vores planer om at spise frokost med de andre medlemmer af Lois’ sekt på en gammel pub (Shutters Inn) i den lille landsby Gotherington.

Denne uventede situation efterlader mig med blandede følelser, det må jeg nok sige. Jeg har glædet mig til at prøve pubbens spisekort, men tværtimod gør jeg mig ikke i sociale situationer, især sammen med medlemmer af Lois’ sekt, selvom de alle er meget søde mennesker. Jeg føler mig altid lidt utilpas, hvilket er lidt af en skam, og jeg fortrækker det, hvis det bare er mig og Lois. Men jeg har lært gennem årene, hvordan jeg bedst kan håndtere stressen og ”forblive zen”.

Tilbageblik til december 2018 og sektens seneste julefrokost

12:00 Det er mig, der laver frokost for en gangs skyld – to portioner pochede æg på toast, én af mine signaturretter ha ha! Men senere på dagen begynder Lois at have det lidt bedre, og hun laver aftensmad – bagte kartofler, cornbeef og ærter, faktisk endnu én af mine signaturretter, men det springer jeg over, fordi jeg faktisk er meget glad for, at hendes dårlige mave forhåbentlig er begyndt at forsvinde.

13:00 Jeg går i seng for at tage en gigantisk eftermiddagslur, mens Lois sætter sig til rette i stuen og se to sentimentale amerikanske jule-tvfilm i træk. Du godeste, sikke et vanvid!!! Men det synes at gør hende godt, og hun har det  åbenbart lidt bedre ved slutningen af den 2. film, hvilket er rart.

Den 1. film, stjernespækket Leslie Nielsen, som vi begge to kan lide, undgår de sædvanlige klichéer, hvilket er rart, siger Lois.

I den 2. mere konventionelle julefilm, opdager Lois en ny kliché af genren: den kvinde, der hjemmefra starter sin egen forretning som én, der planlægger andre menneskers juletid, bryllupper, og andre festlige anledninger på deres vegne - de selve mennesker har for travlt, lader det til. Der var sådan en kvinde i en af sidste uges film, og en anden kvinde, der afprøver denne slags profession popper frem igen i dag, hvilket er rart.

16:00 Jeg står op og laver to kopper te, og rækker én til Lois, som stadig sidder i sofaen, badet i en bølge af sentimentalitet, som hun ser filmens heltinde gentagende gange undlade at finde sammen med sin drømmemand – yikes! Du godeste, sikke et vanvid!!!!

I mellemtiden sætter jeg mig med computeren i spisestuen og udprinter to lister over navne og adresser:  de mennesker, vi regelmæssigt sende julekort. Min liste er betydeligt kortere, end Lois’, gudskelov – de er henholdsvis 6 sider og 10 sider lange.

Lois har meget flere venner, end mig – fordi hun grundlæggende er et meget sødere menneske ha ha ha! Men tværtimod scorer jeg punkter, fordi jeg har meget flere slægtninge – min mor var én af 9 børn, voksende op i 1920’er og 1930’erne i sin hjemby Bridgend i Syd-Wales. Hendes generation er alle forsvundne nu – den sidste af dem, min Tante Bobby, døde desværre tidligere på året: enden på en lang, lang  æra, for at sige mildt, en æra, der startede i 1906 med fødslen af min ældste onkel, John.

Tilbageblik til juni 2019: jeg mødes med nogle af mine mange fætre og kusiner

efter begravelsen af min tante Bobby: enden på en lang æra.

Bundlinjen er, jeg har en masse fætre og kusiner, jeg afsender julekort til.

Jeg vælger 4 fotoer, jeg kan vedlægge med kortene:  ét af Lois og mig som et par (et af mine klodset taget selfies - yikes pinligt ha ha ha!!!!), ét af os med min søster Gill på en restaurant i Oxford for en måned siden, og to familiebilleder af vores 2 døtre, Alison og Sarah, sammen med deres familier.

Og jeg beslutter, hvilke julekort jeg skal vedlægge ét eller flere af billeder til. Det giver ikke mening at vedlægge billeder af vores døtres familier, hvis modtageren aldrig har mødt dem ha ha! Og det giver ikke mening at vedlægge billeder af os selv, hvis vi personligt har set modtageren på ét eller andet tidspunkt gennem de to seneste år for eksempel ha ha!

Nej, det er ikke raketvidenskab ha ha ha!

Billeder af min søster Gill vil kun interessere mine fætre og kusiner, der ikke vil have set her i årtier: hun er muligvis den yngste af helen flok eller nærmest, og hun deltager aldrig i sammenkomster: hun er kendt som den ”glemte kusine” ha ha!

ét af mine klodset tagede selfies, designet til modtagere,

som ikke har set os i årevis

vores datter Alisons familie på Wembley-stadiet

mig på en strandcafé, sammen med vores datter Sarahs familie i Australien

billeder af os sammen med min lillesøster Gill, familiens ”glemte kusine” ha ha!

Job klaret – ”simples”!!!! Men der henstår det større job – dét, at skrive i kortene og afsende dem: yikes!!!!! Men det må blive en anden dag.

Jeg har besluttet ikke at skrive et julebrev i år – jeg vil overlade den slags ting til næste år, når vi besøger Sarah og hendes familie i Australien igen.

Når jeg hvert år beslutter at udprinte eller ikke at udprinte et julebrev, imidlertid må jeg ikke glemme, at mine aktioner har en indvirkning, om én minimal, på vores lands (og dermed verdens) økonomi. Ifølge den såkaldte sommerfugl-effekt kan et insekt der basker med vingerne et tilfældigt sted i verden starte det, der senere, langt derfra, bliver til en orkan... 

Jeg mindes om, hvad der skete, da den amerikanske familie Dunbar for mange mange år siden besluttede at ophøre med at udgive en printet version af familiens nyhedsbrev, og flyttede til en udelukkende webdistributionsmodel.

Den amerikanske familie Dunbar, der for mange år siden, besluttede at

ophøre deres julebrevs printet version.

Nyhedsbrevets redaktørchef, Phillis Dunbar udsendte en erklæring på det tidspunkt via email, hvis jeg husker godt. "I et hurtigt skiftende julebrevlandskab er det trykte ord blevet en mindre effektiv måde at holde dig orienteret om Dunbar-familiens nyheder på," sagde hun. Men hun forsikrede imidlertid en læserkreds af flere end 60 venner og familiemedlemmer, at December-bulletinen ville forblive den mest pålidelige kilde til opdateringer om Nathans fremskridt i skolen, køb af kæledyr og dødsfald af kæledyr og familiens rejseplaner osv. (rapport Onion News den 3. december 1999).

"Selv når vi gør skridt til at udvide vores online tilstedeværelse, har vi ikke glemt vores grundlæggende principper for journalistisk integritet og feriejubilæum. Vi er meget stolte af vores digitale udgave, og vi tror også, at du kan lide det. "

Kilder bekræftede senere, at familien-Dunbar, som led i deres overgang til digitalalderen, fik elimineret ca. 37 job, og mindre, end 10 år senere startede en ny global økonomisk recession. Resten er historie.

Du godeste, sikke en skør verden vi lever i !!!!!

20:00 Efter aftensmad sætter Lois og jeg os til rette i stuen og ser lidt fjernsyn.

Og samtidig med at se på fjersynet begynder Lois at blade igennem nogle af sine seneste familiehistorienyhedsbreve. Hun modtager hver måned nyhedsbreve fra forskellige grevskabfamiliehistoriegrupper, hvor hendes forfædre boede på ét eller andet tidspunkt, inklusive Oxfordshire, der er hendes hovedsagelige fokus.

Hun opdager, at Donnie Osmond, den tidligere popstjerne, har forfædre i grevskabet, og hans familietræ faktisk er blevet offentliggjort på mormonkirkens genealogiske websted, hvilket Lois finder meget interessant – nogen har skrevet en artikel om det i det pågældende nyhedsbrev, siger hun.

21:00 Vi ser det seneste afsnit i Ken Burns’ serie om historien af amerikansk country og western-musik. Dette 5. afsnit dækker perioden fra 1964-1968. Programmets vært er den charmerende Ken Burns.

En interessant program, selvom Lois og jeg hellere vil høre hele sange, i stedet for 10-sekunders uddrag, og lydbites og kommentarer fra hundredvis af ”talende hoveder”, men det springer jeg over.

Det er lidt bemærkeligt, hvor religiøse alle disse sangere var, og hvor mange religiøse sange de skrev, i betragtning af deres alkoholisme og alle de brudte ægteskaber og seksuelle utroskab, der prægede deres liv. Typisk gik de alle ud om lørdag aften for at gå på druk, og søndag morgen ville en eller anden kvinde, deres mor eller deres kone eller kæreste, trækker dem ud af sengen for at gå i kirke. Sikke et vanvid!!!!

Lois er 100% enig med dem om deres teologi, men hun bryder ikke ret meget om deres livstil, det må jeg nok sige. Sikke en skør verden vi lever i !!!!

Johnny Cash: sange om religion og meningsløs vold i den samme pakke!!

I aften ser vi meget til Johnny Cash. Og Lois og jeg vidste ikke, at Bob Dylan var en tæt ven: vi ser dem begge siddende omkring et klaver i en eller anden lejlighed i gang med at synge én af Cash’ sange – Dylan kendte teksten meget bedre, end selve Cash, synes det: ingen overaskelse der, for at sige mildt, i betragtning at Cash’ utroligt rigelige stof- og alkohol-forbrug: du godeste!

22:00 Vi går i seng: adskilte senge for det tilfælde, at Lois har maveproblemer igen – yikes!!!!! Zzzzzzzzzz!!!!