I hope you’re enjoying the weather, the holiday spirit, and the preparation to hit the party mode. The year may have come to an end for many with loose threads hanging out of the fabric. There’s no cause for disappointment. The New Year will bring in a new lease of life and breathe fresh vitality into dwindling endeavors. With this word of hope, let’s begin anew…

I finally decided that it’s going to be really hectic to organize a Christmas party so Rick’s going to throw it at his place. Plus it’s going to be out in Jersey so we can have a bonfire going, which is really cool. We’ll probably end up dancing and singing through the night since Jeffrey is coming, he’s going to be bringing along his musical friends so we’re gonna actually have a live band! And of course Rick is in charge of the drinks, including making Egg Nog. I’m leaving Kong at home, don’t worry.

I want to take this space to give a shout out to my friends on MySpace, Facebook, Hi5, Friendster, Bebo and Orkut. Thank you for sharing your thoughts on the meaning of Christmas. I wanna take this opportunity to share with the rest of my readership what they had said on our discussion boards:

Rosemarie N. Roque says, “It’s a joyous birth of our Savior Jesus, the son of the Lord… it’s a day with kids and everybody… giving and loving, only that it should be done always. Merry Christmas Bob… Thank you bro, hugs.”

Liza Valdez Molino says, “Christmas is the time of giving and forgiving. Time to celebrate and share your blessings with friends and loved ones. Let alone for those who don’t believe in the Spirit of Christmas, life is so simple, it’s we who make it complicated ‘coz of our pursuits in searching of what we don’t have rather than being grateful and contented of what we have. Merry Christmas to all, wish everybody may feel the Spirit of Christmas despite the crisis the world is facing with…”

Nicola Lynn Cooper says, “Dear Bob, Christmas for us is a time for the family to get together. We put presents under the tree and decorate the windows with lights etc. We love turkey dinner with all the accoutriments. We usually open one gift on Christmas eve and the rest on Christmas Day. Christmas this year looks like it will be a white holiday. :)”

Anna Syngellidou says, “Dear Bob, we usually spend the Christmas holidays at the village because it is cooler and it snows, sometimes. We put the Christmas presents under the Christmas tree the night before Christmas so that everyone can open them in the morning. We like to make Christmas cakes and melomakarona and kourapiedes (they are Christmas biscuits that we make in Cyprus). We also make coconut cookies and stuffed turkey on Christmas day. Merry Christmas from Cyprus!!!”

Karen Lang says, “[The meaning of Christmas is] about reliving and realizing the good that IS in this world and celebrating it with family and loved ones… also a reminder I believe to do all these lovely things all the time (start afresh) and not only on Christmas. And to live and let live in this world that could be so harsh and full of hate… yea a time of goodness and giving of yourself and may the Spirit be with you always and not only over Christmas…”

You can also chime in by joining any of our groups. Here are the links: Facebook, MySpace, Hi5, Friendster, Bebo and Orkut. You can always visit my blog!

The colors of Christmas and the sound of the holiday season appears bright and vibrant only when there are friends and loved ones around you.

These are people we usually take for granted but are actually indispensable. My friends make up my world here in this city. They are my family here and they have been with me through thick and thin. Like I said last week, we’re meeting at Seth’s place for the Hanukkah dinner that he’s planning for us. Everyone of our friends will be there, except Kate. I’ve been reading comments from some of you guys suggesting that Kate shouldn’t have moved out. Come to think of it, I cannot be judgmental on that because it was her decision and I respect that. But we all really miss her especially this year around.

I am sure Kate must be missing all of us, too. Irina said the other day, “She always insisted on how we must always be there for each other and when she needed us the most, she denied us the chance to stand by her.” I replied, “I don’t doubt her friendship, you know. She must be sending across her warm wishes to us despite the distance.” And I strongly believe, the distance is only geographical. This also makes me realize the predicament of many of you guys who stay away from your family and sometimes even from friends as well, like the soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. Many of you might want to reach out to that friend who did some wrong inadvertently, resulting in a rift. As I wrote on my blog, now is the time to rise above squabbles and bridge barriers. We had so many things to tell Kate, we didn’t get the chance: she took up her bag and left. I don’t want you to be in our shoes.

By the time I write the next edition of my newsletters, the New Year will be here. There are lots of creases that I want to be straightened out before the Times Square Ball comes down. I don’t think that the script of life would be written the way I want it to be, but I can really wave a cheery bye to this year if things turned out my way. My friends are caught up in problems of their own, be it personal or professional. No matter what you say, you cannot be light on your feet for a party if you have a heavy heart.

We are still in touch with Jeffrey. You might think why this is so, especially after Kate having to leave the city because of the break-up. The answer is simple. Jeffrey was very true from his end towards the relationship and our friend Kate. If things didn’t work out ultimately, it was hardly his fault. He was the only person who didn’t belong to our circle of friends, but tried his best to connect with everyone in the best way possible. He was always there for us. Remember how he took the unenviable charge of teaching Rick how to waltz? The New Year would be incomplete without Jeffrey being around. No matter what.

I want my young friends- Rachael, Ethan and Emily to celebrate New Year with us as well. The best way to go forward is to walk together. I am not sure if the New Year Party would be at my place. That reminds me, despite the fact that my last few New Year resolutions were more flouted than followed, I’m thinking of having a New Year resolution again this year. But as the case is always, I’m at my wit’s end to figure out one. Do you have any suggestions? What’s your New Year resolution? Chime in here.

This year was a very eventful year for me and my friends. Some of them had to suffer heart breaks while others were lucky to find love and contentment. There’s Eleanor who had moved away significantly from the shadow of the Bradley surname, reinventing herself. She’s found love in Frank. There’s my roommate Adrian who found love while he took Kong for a walk. These are instances when love smiled on people I hold close to me. There are also people like Kate and Irina who loved and lost. So it has really been a mixed bag for us.

But the long and the short of it is that we are together, other than an unfortunate exception. And that’s what makes us look forward to the New Year. As they say, you may hit a lean patch, but if you have friends to cheer and urge you on, you will definitely sail through. Our friendship will keep us ticking in the coming year and hopefully many more years to come. And I am also thankful to you people for your friendship and support. I know that you are with me and my friends, praying for us and wishing us the best. A note of thanks for all you friends out there.

The Zen quote in the last edition of the newsletters this year had to be a quote that can tie up the loose ends seamlessly. This one is from Charles Dickens’s famous play, A Christmas Carol: “It was always said of him, that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge. May that be truly said of us, and all of us! And so, as Tiny Tim observed, ‘God Bless Us, Every One!’”