The Round Robin

I've received a Christmas Round Robin and it's still only November.

I find Round Robins challenging (particularly when they underline the fact that someone else has bought, written and posted their Christmas cards before 1st December). There was an exception to this one year when I was featured rather flatteringly, and in my fickle way, decided I actually really do love them. So I think it's a love hate relationship. I love hearing everyone's good news. The 'hate' has something to do with the fact no one writes the tough stuff, so you get a glossy, possibly slightly fake overview of the year, which makes your own year look rather less perfect than you already suspected it to be. Are all these families really having such a great time? Does no-one else settle down to watch a spot of TV and have to wrestle with difficult moral questions like, 'Do you mind if I roll a couple of joints while I sit here?'. Didn't some of those gap year expeditions cause sleepless nights when the last communication with the loved one in question was, 'I feel really ill' and then nothing, nothing for several days, by which time you have decided they have died and no one has found the body yet? Does no one think, 'Hey, I can't afford that holiday in Thailand, I'll go self catering in Wales instead!'

Did no-one have a nothingy year, where nothing special happened and they just plodded on regardless? Granted, this wouldn't make an exciting read, so I suppose there is natural selection in that it is only those successful, confident and dynamic families that will send Round Robins out.

So this is a request, that if you are sending a Round Robin, it is truly rounded and includes some of the grim stuff that will make everyone else think their year wasn't so bad after all, otherwise feature the person you are sending it to in glorious technicolour so they can't complain.