I am sending you this letter to thank you for the gifts you brought me last year and to ask you for some gifts for this year.
As you will know, this year was a difficult year for many people. Initially, the coronavirus deprived many human lives and made the daily lives of many of our fellow human beings difficult with the constant incarcerations that existed. This year, there were also many natural disasters, fires, floods, heatwaves, earthquakes, and so many people lost their homes and suffered a lot. I could not fail to mention the femicides and rapes that happened and shocked our society. The truth is that every year there is a pain in the world, but this year was perhaps one of the most difficult in recent decades.
Still, you were so generous with me that I could not help but appreciate it! Apart from the fact that I had my health and all the people I love next to me, you also brought me some unexpected gifts. First, when you saw in the summer that I was so stressed during the period I was moving from the city I was studying, Patras, to the city I wanted to live in, Rhodes, you offered me a job! And in fact remote work in a wonderful team! Still, I finally managed to live with the person I love. For another year I teach robotics lessons to children, which as you well know I love so much! In addition, I am in an incredible team, IoTeaLive, which helps me to constantly learn new things. Also, just before the expiration of this year, you brought me a very great professional recognition! I became a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional! Finally, I could not help but mention all the new online friends I met, as this year I was particularly extroverted in the tech community.
But apart from the great joys, you brought me, I could not forget the small moments I spent this year. How can I forget my last days in Patras, when I had “adopted” my friend Manto, and we were together all the time? The moments when my friend, Sofia, was coming to Patras again, and it was as if not a single day had passed? The look of my friend Kostas when he realized that it would be the last time he came to my student house? Moreover, how could I forget the night of Sophia’s birthday, when we all had such a great time together? The voice mails of my friend Vasoula that accompanied me in all this, and the outings with my friend Eui and her boyfriend? The “I’m so proud of you” that my boyfriend, Tasos, tells me, and my parents’ help in everything I do? How can I forget the encouragement of my brother who gives me so much motivation to continue, the beautiful words of my colleagues, and the wonderful sense of the team that exists? The smileys of the children I teach when they look at me with their clever eyes? But above all, how can I forget the love I receive from those around me?
So thank you for all this! As gifts for this year, I would like you to bring me health and joy for me and my loved ones, but also what every creature on this planet really wants!
But to whom do I write all this for so long? All this was done thanks to me! I am the Santa Claus of myself now, and I will try every day to offer myself the most valuable gifts! A tip, then, to you who read this letter: Love and take care of yourself, as you love and take care of your most beloved ones! You deserve the best!
Happy Holidays,
Maria-Anastasia
