23 Comments
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Crista Whitney's avatar

Didn’t realize until Q4 that I could click on the photos and make them bigger. I’m real good at the internets. Love the letter and also I’m counting this as one of my book reads in 2025. I give it 5 stars. Happy New Year, Reed fam! 🫶🏽

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Joy Eggerichs Reed's avatar

I can write a few more books for you to read if you’d like. ALSO I didn’t know until this comment that you could make the pictures bigger either. We are a good team. 💃💃

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Leah Boden's avatar

Dave and I just sat (alas, not by a roaring fire) and read this side by side—each to ourselves, if you know what I mean. For the record, I read more slowly and laughed out loud more often! 😆

I now have two goals for 2025:

1. To live my life extravagantly with my end-of-year non-card newsletter in mind at all times.

2. To be featured in the 2025 Reed newsletter

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Joy Eggerichs Reed's avatar

Attainable goals. To paint the picture more accurately for me, did you and Dave have a cup of perfect British tea???

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Leah Boden's avatar

We were enjoying our perfect Saturday morning - Dave makes us coffee and breakfast in bed, then we read or scroll Substack 😆 and eventually we’re joined by teenagers and a dog. It’s the best!

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Camilla Richardson's avatar

The Catio (had to rewrite that twice before it worked) portion is too funny! Loved this! Congrats on selling and on a new home for the folks!

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Joy Eggerichs Reed's avatar

Build your own Catio and they will come!! 🐈‍⬛ 🐈🐈‍⬛🐈🐈‍⬛🐈🏡

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Margarite Anderson's avatar

You make me laugh and laugh! I taught overseas for four years (three in the Dominican Republic and one in Colombia) and your stories remind me of those happy times. Best wishes for a happy and fulfilling 2025!😀

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Joy Eggerichs Reed's avatar

Thank you! Living abroad is such a unifying experience. You just can’t quite get it until you’ve lived it!

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Samantha's avatar

I love reading your writing! You are too funny and I’m here for it. Now 2025 can go fast so I can read your newsletter K?

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Joy Eggerichs Reed's avatar

I’ll see what I can do with the space / time continuum

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JoAnn Klandrud's avatar

If Matt has a single brother…please match this stranger from the internet with him. 😁

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Joy Eggerichs Reed's avatar

Haha no brothers unfortunately! 💕💕💕

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Lesley Sebek Miller's avatar

I read the entire letter and I’m so glad I did because Fern really did eat a very large pancake, and also, I now know you have a home in Southern France for writing retreats which is SO DREAMY JUST TRY TO KEEP ME AWAY.

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Joy Eggerichs Reed's avatar

Fern awaits eating pancakes with you in the south of France. If you could just import some in-n-out as the side dish, she’d appreciate. 🍟

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Joy Nicholas's avatar

Love it! I tend to not really care about Christmas cards, but you might have convinced me.

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Joy Eggerichs Reed's avatar

Make that hot cocoa and start a fire girl! 🔥

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Melissa Edwards's avatar

This filled my heart with joy. I’ve followed you for many years and love to hear about your family.

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Joy Eggerichs Reed's avatar

Thank you! ♥️♥️♥️

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MacKenzie Koppa's avatar

Well, this was absolutely delightful! What a fun and raucous journey you took us on! LOVE!

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Joy Eggerichs Reed's avatar

Inspire you to build a Catio and start being a pet influencer??

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Heather Trowell's avatar

I laughed until I cried. I’ve attempted to write Christmas letters twice. First time it was almost too cathartic—I hated it and only gave my parents and grandparents a copy. This year I wrote down the bare facts and was dissatisfied. Also, this year we got very few Christmas cards, so I guess I need to send out Christmas cards if we want to get any!

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Joy Eggerichs Reed's avatar

You are not alone! It’s cathartic, a nice walk down memory lane, a keepsake, and also can feel like a daunting “should” so — just do it if you want for yourself, your mom and dad or the internet. I should also say, 1/2 the reason we send them out every few years is because I don’t want to get kicked off other peoples lists. Letter or no letter, I just LOVE MAIL. ❤️

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