First I tried to hush away our worries about the quality of the relationship between us and our friends, saying that not everybody likes sending Christmas greetings, that our friends might be more pushed for time than we are and that they have not really lived away from home to feel the need for such senseless communication.

Then, I have decided to make the best of the situation. Now seems to be a good time for us to be more selfish and demanding. There is, after all, not much to lose.