Family Matters

Ummm, so I believe the unthinkable has just happened. You know the phrase, "You can choose your friends but not your family"? Well, I think that my family has chosen to "unchoose" me. I'm not entirely sure why, because I really do like them, but something is amiss. Now, let's not get ahead of ourselves. This is not my immediate family we are talking about...it is my extended family. Let's examine exhibit A....a christmas card. We received this holiday greeting in the mail the other day. (I can't believe they broke up with us in a letter!!!) Pay attention to how it is addressed. The original document said "Dear Family and Friends." However, OUR document read slightly differently. See the picture below....


Apparently, we are no longer family (or they just would have crossed out "friends.") We are also not considered friends, because that is crossed out. So the greeting actually reads Dear Family and Kevin Maria"....hmmmm. Ok, so I can deal with that. Maybe it's a mistake, maybe it's a subtle hint. Whatever the reason, I kept reading...because let's be honest, I still care about them and want to know what's going on in their lives. So I read on....and on...until I come to the end of this festive, yet somehow suspicious, Christmas letter. May I now present exhibit B...the closing. Keep in mind that the people writing this are my aunt and uncle. My REAL aunt and uncle, my father's brother and his wife, so...my blood relatives. Note the signatures. Now note the quotations.
I have never laid claim to be a grammer expert ( I leave that Gramma Jean), but something about the placement of those quotation marks does not give me warm fuzzies. Since when did they become my "Quote-Aunt-and-Uncle?" Do they know something I don't? Is there a family secret hidden deep within the depths of this correspondence? I shudder at the possibility.

The only saving grace is held within the first paragraph where they state they will provide a recap of 2008. Recap is in quotes. I can only hope that the misuse and abuse of quotation marks is an overlooked mistake and not something more.........or is it?????????????