This is retyped copy of the 1984 Christmas Letter
a scanned copy follows the typed one
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Christmas  1984 
"A friend is one who pushes you in the swing, pulls you up
the ladder, pats you on the back, and hugs you good-bye."

     We have had another wonderful year, as I am certain you and yours have also.  The family continues to change its structure as children grow and move around, and parents likewise.

     This year Mom returned to work and gave up the uneventful life of a suburban gadabout (somewhat).  I am now a law librarian at John F. Kennedy University Law School.  I've learned a lot since beginning in June but still have a long way to go.  I enjoy the change, but it has put a strain on my social life.

     Ray's job has him as busy as ever, but he continues to enjoy his work and doesn't seem to mind the long hours.  He has returned to playing tennis, in addition to our strong regimen of square dancing, dinners, theater, weekend trips, etc.  We are still having fun!

     As for the offspring, they are all on the move, as it were.  Lloyd has an apartment in Walnut Creek and works in San Francisco with electrical parts and computers.  He bowls with us on Thursday nights, so we get to see him once in a while.  He comes around to help with major and some minor work at home when we call on his expertise.

     Mark has ventured in entrepreneurship in the nightclub.  He part-owner and manager of a busy and popular club that leaves him precious little time for himself.  We practically have to make an appointment with him to see him these days.

     Pam was graduated from the University of California at Davis in June with a degree in sociology.  She presently lives in a share-rental house in nearby Pleasant Hill while working for a local bank.  She is working for a year to catch her breath before continuing on to law school as planned.  She has taken her L.S.A.T. and is now applying to law schools.  She also works at the nightclub for Mark.

     Gail and her husband, Dave, celebrated their first anniversary in June and are now preparing to move to Orland, CA where Dave has been transferred and where they have bought their first home.  Gail must now transfer her studies in surgical nursing, so will take an additional year or more to complete her studies.  She is excited about their new home and the impending move after Christmas.

     Bev is a resident sophomore at the University of California at Berkeley and loves campus life--however bizarre it may seem to us parents.  She is working hard in her classes and works part-time on campus.  She enjoys the friends and social life at Berkeley.  We look forward to her increasingly infrequent visits home.

     Paul is a senior this year in high school and works for the same chain of drug stores that Gail has worked for since her senior year.  He enjoys his work more than school, it seems, and still enjoys automobiles and girls, but not necessarily in that order anymore.

     May you and yours have a very HAPPY and HOLY CHRISTMAS and prosperous 1985.

                                                            Love,
                                                                Joy, Ray and family


Here is the scanned copy of our letter