It's hard to believe twelve months have gone by since our last Christmas
letter! I'll tell you, once you hit forty every year goes by so fast
that death seems just around the corner! Yet incredibly the Lengyels
have managed to pack 2007 with enough rustic family adventures, artistic
accomplishments, and home construction projects to choke a cow! I've
had four mugs of cappuccino eggnog this morning! Let's get to the news!

Caroline turned twelve in June and had a great birthday. We made her
stay in her room, didn't talk to her for 24 hours, and fed her nothing
but carbohydrates. She's never been happier, and has already requested
the same birthday theme for next year.

Her big present was an August stay at Camp Tanamakoon, a few hours north
of Toronto. We were looking for a girls-only camp near a lake, with
flush toilets and absolutely no bugs, because she has a thing about bugs.
She'll be in her room for three solid hours, listening to her iPod and
decompressing after another fun-filled week of middle school, and suddenly
I'll hear her shrill call from across the house, which means either
she's being abducted by space aliens or she's spotted a moth. Usually
it's just the moth, which isn't half as cool as space aliens, and while
I'm dutifully removing it she has to close her eyes and cover her ears,
in case the moth cries out in Mothglish I guess. How a person can fear and
loathe bugs so much and still want to save the rain forests is beyond me.

Anyway despite the likelihood of some insect encounters, Camp Rabid
Raccoon looked like the best fit for Caroline, but it was pricey and
far away, so we had to skimp a bit on transportation. Luckily the New
York State Canal System goes right in that direction all the way to
Lake Erie, and you'd be amazed how fast some of those freight barges
can travel between locks. I even found a crew that would let the two of
us ride for free as long as we groomed them and danced the tarantella
after every meal, and in six short days we were in Toronto, no poorer
and even fitter than when we started.

We had signed Caroline up for one week at Camp Hakuna Matata, which
was now over unfortunately, so we had to stay on board the barge and
head straight back, this time hauling masses of thick ropes around and
showering on deck. Those were the ten longest days of the trip, but we
had met some really interesting people and learned a ton about proper
sluice gate operation, so as camp experiences go I think it could have
been a lot worse.

Mary decided this fall that she wanted to play the clarinet in fourth
grade band. It turns out she mainly wanted to rent the clarinet, but
that won't stop her on concert day, you mark my words. Nine-year-olds do
seem to go through a conscientious phase for some reason, where being
organized and following the rules are very important all of a sudden,
and somehow Mary got it into her head that the corks in her clarinet
were in constant danger of drying out and had to be oiled every three
to four hours. For weeks she was oiling those things around the clock
until her band teacher finally intervened. He told her she'd done such
a great job that her corks wouldn't need re-oiling until 2035, and she
could now concentrate on producing a note that didn't kill dogs.

Emily lost three teeth this year. Then they came back.

My wife made several executive decisions in 2007, one of which was that
I must never ever mention her name in print ever again, ever. She Who
Must Not Be Named is a person who doesn't like unwanted attention, or
wanted attention for that matter. She explained that she was born in New
York City, was taught to stare ahead purposefully as she walked down the
street, to ignore muggings and lunatics and celebrities alike--basically
to observe humanity from a distance but never to get involved. She wishes
everyone the warmest and merriest of Christmases.

For my part I had another productive year as patriarch trapped in a
matriarchal organization. I managed to reduce the number of hours I
spent recycling to about 60% of my free time. My jumping at the TV and
whooping excitedly helped carry the Red Sox to their first World Series
crown in three agonizing seasons. And my record of preventing any member
of my family from strangling any other member remains perfect at 13 and
0. I cannot be beat in the area of strangling prevention!

Here's to you and yours, and an even more amazing 2008!

John Lengyel lives in Cohasset!