Did Someone Say Presents?

                             

            Imagine, if you can, a small child, say six or seven, on Christmas morning. You were all small children once, maybe you still are. See if you can remember that feeling in the pit of your stomach. That utter elation associated with Christmas morning. However, as most of you can probably attest to, the older you get, the more boring Christmas becomes. It is a slow demise that starts with the truth about Santa Claus and ends with Christmas as an excuse to replenish your wardrobe once a year. However, if you’re lucky, Christmas just might hold all of the magic that it used to. Though for most of us, I doubt it does. But, if you are looking to re-introduce the “magic at Christmas” into your life, you’re in luck! Just hop on a schooner with little to no communication with the outside world and have somebody send you letters! Now, I can only speak for myself, but I believe many of my shipmates share my sentiment, and I’m being perfectly honest when I say that receiving letters while on board holds the same magical feeling as Christmas morning when Santa ate all the cookies and drank the milk. They do not have the colorful packaging or fancy ribbons like Christmas presents, and they may not contain more than a few trivial facts from our loved ones…However, I ‘ve ripped open my letters with the same feverish ferocity that I ripped open my packages when expecting that new playmobil castle not so many years ago. I can’t fully explain it, but on the boat, words from the ones we love are worth so much more than they ever were before. And, I am hoping this appreciation will last beyond the trip, and I will be able to carry it back into my normal life.

Joe Newlin