Category Archives: Christmas Letters

By now, hail was pelting the park. With rain raining, wind hailing, I took over the kite line, vowing to bring her home safe and sound without crashing. I felt like I was standing on the deck of that fishing schooner in the movie, “The Perfect Storm.” Sam, ignoring the pleas of his mother, ran into the eye of the storm to stand by my side and together we pulled down the ailing flyer safely to the ground.
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A few years ago my father had open-heart surgery. After the operation, he was a little out of it. In fact, one night he told the nurse that he thought he was in Ireland. Now you can think that’s sad or funny, but I just wonder what was going on in his mind to make him think he was in Ireland. Why Ireland of all places? What did that look like to him … a guy whose farthest adventure out of the U.S. was Kakabeca Falls in Ontario, which is, for all intent and purposes, Northern Minnesota. Either way I’m glad he got to go. Continue reading →

Sam turned three in August and is easily the best kid we’ve got. I realize you’re not supposed to have favorites, but really, it’s not even close. He’s funny, brave, handsome, athletic, creative, and thoughtful, but his breath smells really funky in the morning. I mean it smells pretty unusual. He loves Peter Pan, Star Wars; any movie involving swords or light sabers. Sam is equally comfortable playing either Obi-Wan Kenobi or Darth Vader. Continue reading →

Joyce is the sister, who always took my brother Jon and I to the Minnesota State Fair. For, I don’t know, 10 straight years or more, the three of us would go to the fair – Joyce’s treat – and we’d hit all of the rides (the Tilt-a-Whirl, the Matterhorn), eat mini-donuts and foot-long hot dogs. We’d visit the animals and the big tractors. We’d take in a show, whether it was Willie Nelson or the rodeo or the demolition derby. Continue reading →

Rose will begin taking courses for her Master’s degree in Organizational Management. I try to be supportive by saying things like, “I bet you think you’re smarter than me now,” and “These kids aren’t going to raise themselves.” Stuff like that. It’s important to be positive. Continue reading →

The 1990s will be remembered for many things for many people. For the Snyder family of the Rocky Mountains, we will remember the 1990s as the decade our family was born.
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