Dear friends and family,
We have been in our Hackett home a quarter of a century now. A quarter of a century!
Each Christmas, our Christmas tree stood inside a large picture window. This year, Geoff brought it out of storage, gave it a good hose down and decorated it beautifully. But it smelt musty and my nose streamed copiously. The tree was relegated to a dim corner of the garage. I recovered. The garage looked more cheerful, but the tree didn’t.
Inspiration struck and we moved the tree to the porch, the other side of the window. ‘Fresh air!’ we said, including the tree, whose tinsel shimmered in the breeze in concert with the foliage of its earthy cousins. Not only did its lights shine at night, but the morning sun made it glow each morning. Soon, surprise gifts started to appear under it from generous neighbours.
A quarter of a century. That’s also how long Geoff and I have now been married. We, along with our generation of siblings and siblings-in-law, are getting older more rapidly. Our various cumulative experiences include retirements, caring for frail and very elderly parents, downsizing, moving house and visiting doctors more often. The grandchildren of our siblings are just as rapidly finishing school, picking up car keys and living adult lives. Changes are afoot.
In October, we captured this precious moment of transitions. Before families dispersed too far, we hosted in Canberra a goodly number of family members of three generations, and bridesmaid Mandy (and her Geoff) and best man Simon (and Angela). They travelled from interstate or joined by Zoom. As well as being a wonderful wedding anniversary celebration, it proved to be a significant family reunion.
We are grateful that we have these good memories of 2024 to remember. The past year has been a tough one in so many ways for so many people. Loved ones and familiar communities have been dealing with stresses, illness and fatigue. On the world stage, wars have been and continue to be traumatic. The world’s climate is stressed. Whole forests have burned, and cities and farms have drowned.
May this Christmas season and 2025 herald the fresh air of hope and joy for you, and peace and healing for our planet and its people. We send you our love and we close with some snapshots of our life in 2024.
Chris and Geoff
The Year in Pictures