Christmas Card 2024

Buon Natale - Merry Christmas!

It's our first year not sending any holiday cards, and probably not receiving any either. Very understandable, given our living situation, but it still makes me a little sad. I know I'm in the minority here, but I still love the tradition of sending and receiving cards during the holiday season. It's a lovely - and increasingly rare - experience to receive a handwritten note from special people in one's life. 

So, this year I find myself reverting to a 'virtual' format. I hope you enjoy our photos and updates, and I hope to hear from you. Happy Holidays!

John

Probably you all know that this has been a rough year for John, with two surgeries, three transfusions, and months of rehabilitation stays, after falling and fracturing his femur in June. Things seem to be moving in the right direction. Everything looked good at his last check-up in late November. The doctor said to expect a recovery period of 6 more months before 'normal.'

Currently, John is getting around the apartment without his one crutch (he started off with two). When we go outside, however, he is still using one crutch. But, he is going to move soon to a cane. He's been gradually increasing distance walking outside. This past weekend he walked 1.3 km / .81 mile when we went to a piano and clarinet concert. 

The concert hall is in our town's renovated former train station. John noticed that the reflection of the beams in the window was a peace sign. We would like more peace in 2025!

Walking practice is usually on the lungomare, but we try to have other excursions too.

Emily

Santa rewarded Emily for all of her efforts in helping us this year with an opportunity to live in England for 5 months. If you know Emily, you're aware that she is a mega Anglophile and has wanted to live in the UK since she was a little girl. 

On a recent trip to London in October.

Emily will be staying with a family in London, where she'll be helping out with their two children while the mom, a college professor, is going through her tenure process. The mom is originally from Capo D'Orlando, and Emily met her parents when she proposed a deal to the local karate studio to use their space for practicing Tae Kwon Do in exchange for cleaning the studio. The studio owner's wife realized that Emily could be a good fit to help her daughter. Sicilian Nonna Network in action!

While she's super-excited about upcoming events, I know Emily will miss her little English student, her 'cat' (our neighbor), as well as delicious Sicilian food.  (John and I are certainly going to miss her presence - and her cooking!)

Waiting for the Santa Lucia procession down our street.

A nice holiday dinner at a nearby trattoria.

Chris

I got curls!

My Permesso di Soggiorno (like a 'green card') finally arrived! I'm good for 5 years. Well, since it took a year to process, I have 4 years remaining before having to renew. 

Aside from dealing with crisis and change since summer, I've spent most of my time studying Italian. My goal is to take the B1 cittadinanza exam next summer. This is the first hurdle in obtaining Italian citizenship. I work with online and physical resources, as I have in the past, but I'm putting in additional time. My friend Grazia teases that I am always studying. 

This Fall I added the Italian class in our local adult education offering, which gives me 4-5 additional hours per week in a classroom setting. I have a great teacher, Andrea, and fun classmates (several who've become friends). We are like a mini United Nations, with people from Romania, Ukraine, Argentina, Nigeria, Bangladesh, Morocco, Brazil, Canada, and others! When my friend Donna is in Capo D'Orlando, she also attends, and that makes it extra fun. 

I completed the A2-B1 online course through YouTube teacher Stefano.

Having an after-class aperitivo with Donna.

Capo D'Orlando at Christmas: A Mini Photo Essay

 

Best wishes for the holiday season from John, Chris, and Emily!