Saturday, December 24, 2011

HOLIDAY GREETINGS 2011

May holiday celebrations bring your family much joy and pleasure with loved ones and friends whether they live near or distant.

Here's a classic Christmas song, "Sleigh Ride," sung by husband and wife, Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme:

(Remember LPs?)


(From the 1965 LP: "Goodyear's Great Songs Of Christmas Album 5"
(Columbia Special Products CSP-238-S)


Technological communication systems today bring us close across the miles allowing an ease of frequent contact unlike any time before. We have simple cell phones ranging to the more complex smart phones like the iPhone and Androids, other digital devices. Small netbooks to larger laptops and desktop computers are in use. Email, instant messaging, texting, twittering -- social networks are popular. There are iPods and the latest iPad iteration with evolving competitive gadgetry, plus hundreds of thousands of applications. There's a never-ending steady stream of new digital creations to fascinate, intrigue, challenge, frustrate and confuse us.

I'm particularly enamored with Skype (quickly and easily downloaded free from the Internet) which allows real time interaction with picture and sound for conversations that enhance relationships with friends and family.

I've especially enjoyed Skyping this year since more loved ones are doing so, too. I was pleasantly surprised this week with contact from an older family member who has been able to add Skyping capability to life skills he has been gradually reacquiring since a life-threatening medical event years ago, coupled with subsequent medical issues, impeded his computer digital activities.

I've especially enjoyed keeping up in real time with Skype's audio and video of my grandson born early this year who I finally met this past fall. I traveled east for a delightful time rockin’, singin’, talkin’, readin’, and playin’ with him. I even shared some time with his parents! Meeting again with his other grandparents is always fun, too.

I'm really delighted to periodically see and talk with my grandson via Skype with his Dad providing technical assistance as the little one reaches for a keyboard or touch screen. I've been impressed with how Grandson attends to my face on the screen, may recognize my voice, and responds dialogue-like verbally with beginning sounds though they don't yet make intelligible words. I've been delighted to watch him in real time walking with the support of his push toy, grasping food bites that also can be smushed for finger painting on his table between bites, and his eventually cuddling at bedtime.

Just today, Christmas Eve, (when I'm writing this) I was treated to a video of Grandson now walking independently! Life has suddenly become even more interesting for his parents and their two cats as those of us who are parents know only too well.

Computers will be a given in my Grandson's life, just as television was for his parents. Neither technology existed in my young life except in the comic strips, fantasy and science fiction.

Wishing each of you a very Merry Christmas and most Happy, Healthy, Prosperous New Year!

13 comments:

  1. All the best to you and yours as you celebrate the holidays!!!! I love Steve and Eydie!!!!!

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  2. Joared--Glad to hear from you. Hope your Christmas day was to your liking and may 2012 be really, really good to you!
    Cop Car

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  3. I am a day late in wishing you a happy Christmas. It is heartfelt, albeit late. I hope it was fun talking to the littlest member of your family yesterday.

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  4. Season's Greetings to you, Joared.

    This year youngest daughter wanted Hub and I to get on skype. We both laughed and said, 'no thank you". Hub said too often we are good and comfortable but not camera-ready. That skype might cause too much unnecessary concern to see him afore noon with a three day growth of beard sitting beside me with my medusa hair.

    But nonetheless, I can't think of anything nicer than chatting with the grandchildren while seeing their beautiful faces, their conversation expressions, and everything else about them that makes them far more special than they will every realize or understand -- until they are grandparents themselves.

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  5. I hope your Xmas was warm and cozy...and full of love JoAnn. We tried to Skype the other day to see little Olive with her presents, but my camera wasn't working. I guess I'll be looking around for another one....I don't want to miss too many chances to see those little ones. Happy Happy New Year to you dear friend... ~Joy xo

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  6. How old am I to remember LPs? We finally got rid of ours. Too many, too dusty. Now I listen to Public Radio on my computer.

    Thanks for a little Edie and Steve. Dianne

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  7. Roberta S.: Oh, you're depriving yourself and family of such pleasure by concern about how you might look!

    My netbook or laptop with camera rest on my lap table. Either capture me from mid-chest to head plus a bit of wall behind me. Sometimes I'm in a colorful pajama top, or could be a robe, talking to family and/or a good friend -- nobody is the wiser and really could care less -- I'm not indecent. So what if Hub hasn't shaved, or simply say you'll talk after he has, and you've fixed your hair, or not. At the risk of giving unwanted suggestions, think again about depriving yourself, loved ones, or even friends, of the Skype fun even if Hub doesn't want to participate or vice versa.

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  8. And to you too, my dear....A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR! May you enjoy all of these miraculous technilogical miracles even more, in 2012!!!

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  9. We love Skype, too, to communicate from our east coast home to our west coast grandson. We often find it distorted by traffic on special days and in the evenings, so we also use ooVoo, which is also free and shows two screens...the image that your recipient sees is also visible to you. Sometimes, we get better quality and, between the two, we can usually make something work.

    Happy Holidays!

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  10. Schmidley--Remembering LPs is no fete (she chortles), remembering 78s played on a real Victora fitted with a cactus needle puts you in range of qualifying as an elder.
    Cop Car

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  11. Cop Car and Schmidley: What about the round cylinder discs that preceded 78s -- those were the first recordings and the first I ever heard -- "Roamin' In The Gloamin'" sung by Sir Harry Lauder, the first British artiste to sell a million records.

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  12. Nance: Thanks for mentioning ooVoo -- I'll have to check it out. I also Skype from here on the West Coast to the East Coast as well as to Hawaii's Big Island with excellent transmissions. Earlier this year friends went to Ireland and we Skyped -- had some breakups with that effort but able to complete our conversation (friend was using iPad.)

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  13. The music was great; thanks. All the best to you in the coming year.

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