Last night, John and Ari attended Christmas Eve dinner with family and friends. By request, I sat on my in-laws’ couch watching Bridesmaids while sipping Glenmorangie and eating cocoa-flavored goat cheese on apple slices. It was my first time alone at home since her birth, and it felt…really good, though I missed them as soon as the car pulled away.
Dear friends,
I wish you and your families a very merry Christmas! I’m far behind on thank-you’s (my apologies), but this holiday season we are acutely grateful for the outpouring of love that has been shown to our daughter in the last two months and, of course, for the support throughout my pregnancy, in our respective professional lives, and other developments along the way. 2012 has been quite a year! Simply and sincerely, thank you.
Although Ari is way too young to remember this set of holidays, having a child has definitely rekindled the magic of the season. I’ve cherished singing a multitude of carols, ingrained in my memory after years of chamber choruses and holiday pops, and watching her respond so predictably (at least in my imagination) to the familiar melody of “Lo, how a rose e’er blooming.” I’m looking forward to reading her Madeleine L’Engle’s The Twenty-Four Days Before Christmas and celebrating the Oppenheimer family version of a secular Advent. And I am thankful for the opportunity to introduce her to so many loved ones who have helped make these days together merry and bright.
xoxo
jj & ajx2
anna in med school 