I am so excited. My mum had a falling out with her sister (my aunt) and they haven't spoken for years. I've tried to encourage my mum to rethink this, to no avail. But I sent a card to my aunt anyway, with a hand-written letter telling her about my family.

I received a card back from her with photos (she looks JUST like my mum, and the family resemblance is unmistakable through my mum and her siblings to me and to my DD, though not to my sons) and a letter and pages from a historical book (my uncle is a book dealer). The book is a history of the town my DH is from, and it turns out that her DH's family (my uncle) and my DH's family are very closely related, as they were both original Dutch settlers to the area. I knew that their surname was found around where I live, but I had not idea they were from the same group of original settlers!

I have written back and I am going to see if I can find a copy of the same book. What an incredible gift to receive information about one's family and ancestors! It is a smaller world than we sometimes think.

On the gift front, DH surprised me with a Galaxy Note 4. I have not had a smart phone before, so I have a LOT to learn (I am going to sign up for a class), but I feel as though I've finally entered the 21st century with technology. He also gave me a pair of beautiful earrings for my birthday, but honestly they pale in comparison to the rest.

I hope everyone has had a wonderful season of togetherness and reconnecting with family! If you have had any welcome surprises or thoughtful gifts, please post!