Dear Everyone,

Well, here we are, it's Christmas Day, and I'm thinking about writing to people. No excuse really, except that the end-of-year holidays really are confusing. We have a national holiday on 23rd December, for the Emperor's (real) birthday, and the chorus I belong to does its annual performance of Beethoven's Ninth on that day, and we got a photo of part of the chorus rehearsal in the national press yesterday! Then Christmas isn't officially a holiday at all, so there's a sort of funny gap, followed by New Year. Of course this year we're all waiting to see if our computers explode or anything. At least if they do, everyone in England will see it on the news first. (Actually, I don't suppose anything particular at all will happen.)

As usual, we've all got a bit older, and at least some of us might have learned something. I suppose the most useful "news" of this year is that we are now on the Internet (WWW). If you get a chance to go to the address above, you can look at a few family photos, and stuff like our summer holidays. Oh yes, we got away this year at last: in August we went to the West coast of Japan, which is generally unspoilt and interesting. Managed to do both some swimming and a bit of mountain climbing. Both Ian and Terry can swim quite well - Aki is learning and keen, so he's also started going to classes in the local pool.

Musical progress continues: actually Ian, Terry, and Aki all had lessons today - quite a shuffle getting them all there in the right sequence. Terry and I played a duet and I did a bit on my own in the Sano piano festival (see http://www3.yomogi.or.jp/chandler/stuff/spf99.htm for details) back in the Summer; Ian played in his school wind band concert, and went off to a few band concerts in Utsunomiya, including getting on the wrong train and a few other adventures; and we did Faure's Requiem for the chorus summer concert.

Sorry, that's not much. I do hope you get a chance to look at our photos and things on the Internet.

Hoping you have had a pleasant Christmas and with our very best wishes for the New Year,

Brian, Keiko, Ian, Terry and Aki Chandler