i have somehow managed to live my entire life without sending a single christmas card. laziness may be the root issue, but for years i genuinely (if not erroneously) thought i could "ride on the coattails" of my family's Christmas card. i mean, at what point did "Happy Holidays! Love, the Ward's" cease to include me?

at any rate, over the past several years i have noticed a disturbing downward trend in the mention of my name and/or activities in my parents' holiday letters. it was troubling to see my informational paragraph shrink to a sentence, then to an honorable mention, and then, finally, to complete elimination. as if this weren't wounding enough, there has been a pronounced spike in the referrences to family pets during this same period.

i recently approached my mom with my concerns and she quite frankly told me that if i had so much to say about myself, i should write my own christmas letter.

point taken.

so, having finally realized that the Ward Family Christmas Letter is no longer the stage from which to announce my accomplishments, and being too unindustrious to lick and stamp my own envelopes, i have posted my first-ever christmas letter online.

season's greetings to you and yours.