The dos Santos Family Christmas Letter

The whole family at Thanksgiving This year, the dos Santos Christmas letter is brought to you by Craig. Alissa has gone through four years of journalism school, internships with newspapers, and now a full-time job as a journalist, yet decided to pass the torch to someone who has only written e-mails and blog posts over the last eight years. I’m not sure what style of writing is appropriate, but I believe the Christmas letter tradition is mostly about boasting about my family, and how much I love them. This should be easy. Dad and Andrew Let’s start with Dad. The least changes with him from year to year, and we want to start small and build up to Andrew, since the munchkin is always full of surprises. Dad continues to work long hours at UofL. His research has done particularly well this year, and he’s written a number of innovative papers that are in various stages of being published. After six years of job switching and vagabonding myself, I truly appreciate that Dad found a job that is: flexible enough to allow him to always put us first, something he’s good at, and most importantly, something he loves to do. It’s not an easy feat, and I am proud to have him as my role model. Mom, the ESL teacher Mom. I visited Mom recently at her school. She got some free balloon twisting entertainment for her ESL kids, and I got to see her in her element as a teacher. Mom is forever graced by the fact that she just can’t be mean. Her stern teacher voice is borderline comedic. Half a dozen teachers and colleagues stopped by the room while Iwas there just to tell me how wonderful she is. Silly people. I already know that! It’s nice to visit Louisville and see Mom and Dad still fulfilled with this “empty nest” stage. As their kids, we continuously hope for their continued good health and to see them as often as possible. At the top of Wynu Picchu in Peru I spent the earlier part of the year in Brazil, then Argentina, then Peru. I climbed mountains and hiked along beaches. But as you will see, the name of the game this year with the kids was “employment.” In September, after four delightful years without a regular salary, I took a fantastic job as head of the mobile division of a games company in San Francisco. So far, I love it. Three quick notes: running is still a constant in my life and keeps me sane as everything else around me changes. I try to be musical and play the guitar/piano, but my passion for music isn’t matched by natural ability. I would describe my social life as “actively single.” Interpret that any way you want, and you’re partially correct. Me and the little sis Alissa picked up her dream job this year as a TV news reporter in Lexington, KY. She’s close to home, loves her work so much she doesn’t mind doing the 4 a.m. morning shift, and is getting opportunities in her field that most colleagues her age can only dream of. I’m so happy to see her dive into something she loves, although it’s weird to see her on the news! Feel free to put her name in YouTube.com and see a few clips yourself. She’s so professional, I have a hard time believing it’s my little sister. She’s still sticking with me in the world of singledom, and we have banded together to talk about the good and bad of dating life. At Andrew's 2nd birthday in Feb Liane is also employed. Full time. 24 hours a day. With Andrew. The big news is that she’s taking a second job (crazy I know!). This particular bundle will arrive in March, and we hear it’s going to a girl! Alissa and I are ecstatic to be aunt and uncle again, and I think Kevin is overjoyed to fill one more slot on his family co-ed soccer team. Amidst this exciting news, Kevin and Liane will be moving next year as Kevin is about to finish his fellowship in Chicago. Where they’ll go is still up in the air, but after 10 years of hard work, he has fantastic options because everyone he works with gives him glowing reviews. Stay tuned, 2010 will be a big year for the Carneiros… Before I get to Andrew, I can’t finish this letter without talking about Nana, who passed away in February. As a family, we were unbelievably lucky to be graced by her presence for so many years. She was a calming presence in our home for as long as I can remember. It is now abundantly clear the positive influence she had on all of us. She is dearly missed. Andrew tries to wake me up... So Andrew is almost 3 years old. He is a walking, talking, lovable, entertaining kid. But everyone says that. I think it’s best to describe him with a simple story. This is one of many conversations Liane sends us via e-mail. Andrew is singing Down By the Station and ends with “Chug-chug, toot-toot off they go.” Then he says, “Why they say toot-toot?” Liane: “Because that’s what the train says.” Andrew laughs and says, “That funny.” Liane: “Why is that funny?” Andrew: “I go toot-toot on the potty and train go toot-toot on the tracks.” I hope this letter finds you in good health and surrounded by those you love. Please be in touch… all of us are on Facebook these days! Love, Craig, Liane, Kevin, Alissa, Brian and Loretta -->