We Wish You . . .

Merry Christmas!

Sue & I would like to take this opportunity to wish you and yours the best holiday season ever and a happy & healthy New Year.

As we prepare for our traditional Feast of the Seven Fishes, we just had to make the time to write this holiday message.

Tomorrow night our house will be full with family, delicious smells and all of those special ingredients that a make a special day. We wish that in the coming days you, as well, gather up all of those ingredients necessary in making your own special holiday. And don't forget the reason for the season!

We be back after the new year but we can't leave without wishing ourselves a happy 5th anniversary - for this blog that began on December 29, 2002. We've expanded a bit and reach a few more people then we did at first and would like to thank our loyal readers. As I've said before, anyone can do this and the latest spate of blogs show that. It's you, the readers, that make this blog what it is - your interaction and emails that continually encourage and suggest new ideas. For that, we are truly grateful.

As we close another Pinecone year, we reflect back at our special letterboxing moments - the highlight of which was our Dartmoor trip and the magic it left in the hearts and souls of all of the participants. You must make a trip there - whatever it takes. There's a real connection there with the boxes, the people and that beautiful moor!

And reflecting forward we have a very busy year! A Florida trip in late April, our Letterboxing Cruise in June, a return to OR for Mitch's special They Live and Breathe Letterboxing gathering and finally, our Bed & Boxing event in November in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. And who know what weekends or gatherings might crop up in the meantime!

We wish you all the very best and hope you'll come back and visit us here real soon. And don't forget -



Have fun and just get out there & box!!!

O Come All Ye Boxers

It's that special time of year when a certain Cape address has a very specially decorated Christmas Tree and Hanukkah Bush!

That's right, Archimedes Screw and Cape Cod Lightning Bug and the rest of the Cape Crew have once again posted their clues for their O Letterbox Tree & Hanukkah Bush. This 26 box effort is available only for a limited time - don't miss out!

If you are in the area and can only do 1 holiday box, do yourself a favor and take the trip to the Cape!

Tis the Season!

It's December 9th and already the Pinecone place is beginning to look alot like Christmas!

Those that know us well know that Sue loves to decorate our home for the holidays. And those that know us even better know that I am not into it - I call the constant daily decorating the "drip, drip, drip" - equating daily decorating sessions to the old fashioned Chinese water torture that prisoners would have to endure! I help Sue but many times I would make the Grinch look like an elf!

Other years, we've spent all of our waking hours (and weekends!) carting the 20 plus boxes of decorations down from the attic, unpacking them, packing up the non-seasonal items and then climbing the 2 flights of stairs back to the attic - only to reverse the whole process in a few short weeks after New Years! We usually are finished decorating just in time for our large Christmas Eve famiily get together.

This year, Sue took a few days off from work and I joined her Monday of last week. We spent last Sunday and Monday afternoon doing the decorating tango! Also, a few evenings after work this week we once again danced the dance of the decorating divas. Friday night we decorated the tree. Yesterday, my birthday, again I did the Christmas tango for about 4 hours and guess what? We are done! What a great birthday gift - the dance is over - for a bit!

The Chinese water torture is over for this season at a record pace. December 8th and we are all through! Gifts bought and all. All that's left is wrapping the presents, sending out our Christmas cards and Sue has to bake her requisite holiday cookies.

I'm giddy with the possibilities! Might we have time this season to really celebrate? Will we get our Christmas cards out early enough? And wouldn't it be nice after everyone leaves Christmas Eve to not have to wrap our sons' Christmas gifts at 2 in the morning on Christmas Day because they are already wrapped well before the deadline?

So this is what it's like anticipating the holiday season! Wow! Imagine! Maybe time for a holiday letterboxing series or a special evening with friends. Some time to sit and enjoy the glow of the tree while we reflect the reason for the season. I could get used to this!!!

Our hope is that you all, as well, get a chance to stop amidst the hustle and bustle of the season to take some time to actually enjoy it. Sure there is so much to do but the holidays come at us really quickly and they are gone in a twinkle of the jolly elf's blue eyes.

So just find a special moment or two to enjoy the holiday glow with your favorite special someone. I think you'll be glad that you did.

But don't linger too long because before you realize it will be time to do the de-decorating jig. But if your Christmas and New Years is filled with a special moment or two, the de-decorating won't be so difficult after all! At least that's my take on it . . .

2008 is Time to . . .

That's right!

And what better way to celebrate every month of the year in 2008 than to find a new letterbox every month!

Fellow Berlinite, Astrii, has seen fit to take up this deed by planting the Celebrate the Year Letterbox. A different stamp will be hidden the first day of every month and removed when its newer month replacement is planted.

One stop - 12 boxes! Something to which all CT (and visitors) boxers may look forward to adding to their logbooks!