I think you should make a crossword puzzle!

"Ooooh, that is such a good idea!" (My response when Shulamith suggested a crossword puzzle.)

You see, every year since Gerald and I were married, we've sent out a Christmas letter/card/greeting of some kind. In the early years, our letters were more traditional, but I quickly tired of those, so for the last 15-ish years, I've sought newer, more creative ideas. The problem is, I'm running out of those.

I've written an acrostic poem, using the all the letter of our two last names. I've made a multiple choice test. I've done a "thumbs up / thumbs down" format, to highlight the highs and lows of the year. I've done an award show theme, giving everyone his or her own award. One time I asked everyone the same three questions and wrote their answers. Another year I did "The 12 Days of Erichsen-Webster Christmas." Another year I did "Quotable Quotes," citing a memorable quote from each of us. Some of these ideas I stole from my friend, Trudy. Others I found online. Still others I thought up myself.

My absolute favorite Christmas letter, the one I try to equal every year but never succeed, is from 2014 when I rewrote the poem "Twas The Night Before Christmas" to reflect our family. Here it is, if you'd like to read it again.

This year's letter doesn't even come close to that one, but it was fun to write nonetheless. I was totally stumped trying to come up with a new idea when Shulamith came to the rescue with the crossword puzzle suggestion. It's not a live link, so you'll need to highlight/copy/paste it into your browser, but that should work fine. So here it is:

...drum roll...

CrosswordHobbyist.com/708062/Erichsen-Webster-Family-Puzzle





SPOILER ALERT!!!

Next, I'm going to post the answers, so if you'd like to try to solve the puzzle first, STOP SCROLLING NOW.





Puzzle Answers:

Across
4 Waffles
5 Gerald
6 Theodore
7 Shulamith
8 ElderErichsen
13 Mathew
14 Luke
16 Kennedy

Down
1 Amanda
2 Terrianne
3 MrWebster
9 Desiree
10 Ramsay
11 Isaiah
12 Swen
15 Evelyn