The Spark's 2008 Holiday Letter - December 30, 2008

Dear Friends, Another year has drawn to a close, and it's time to look back at our accomplishments of the past twelve months. We're so proud of our family's achievements and want to share them with those who are dear to our hearts. Some of our fondest memories of 2008: * Michelle had her baby (no, not that one) and is taking full advantage of the Canadian government’s generous maternity leave policy. We expect her back sometime around 2013. * Mike completed a lifelong dream and became the world’s first head-banging ninja film critic. * Eugenia consumed 152,846 calories cooking for her Spark articles, and she will gladly eat another Sausage McMuffin for the sake of the Spark. * Jessica finally picked a winner. Sort of. * Robert’s World of Warcraft gold farming business has gone bust (his Chinese workers revolted, demanding time for sleep despite his generous offer of more Red Bull). Undaunted, he plans on making a killing selling fake tickets to the presidential inauguration. Got to love his entrepreneurial spirit. Wish him luck! * Richard finally joined Facebook this year and no one has seen or heard from him since. * Suzi is sick to death of the incessant pleas to upgrade your television with a digital conversion tuning box prior to the FCC's digital TV transition in February. She’s also trying to beat her addiction to the Discovery Channel's "Storm Chasers" (in HD, baby!) by replacing it with an obsession with "Antiques Roadshow." * Liz made progress on her screenplay about gigantic, possessed parade balloons that break free and take over a city. * Chris has developed an obsession with downloading his entire life onto the Internet and becoming "VirtualChris." * Helene fait un effort courageux pour comprendre ces Américains fous, mais je ne sais pas si cela en vaut la peine. * Dave followed his crapping out on Jeopardy! with an attempt to memorize every useless factoid of trivia in the world and writing a Spark about it. 182 down; who knows how many to go? Warm wishes to you and yours over the holidays and in the coming year. Love, The Spark Household Suggested Sites... How to Write Family Christmas Letters - ideas for lively and creative family letters. The Gloating Christmas Letter - how to decode the boasting and bragging of typical holiday letters. The Perfect Holiday Letter - dos and don'ts for your holiday missives. Everyday Etiquette: How to Write a Holiday Letter - how to get kids to take up the tradition. How to Write a Holiday Thank You Letter - show your gratitude, not your ego.