Christmas is a wrap. Tinsel, Elfie, and Tiny must have observed some very good behavior this year, because I think you and Eliza totally scored. Santa brought you a drone that you named DJ (a DJI Neo). He also changed things up with more shared gifts, including a metal detector and a 3D printer that you named “Joy.” You are really into naming things this year.
The metal detector and the drone have both come out on nice days, since they’re a bit weather-dependent. Mom was the first person to find something with the metal detector at Hartstene Pointe—a 2-ounce fishing weight. We’ve flown DJ a few times now, and it’s amazing how automatic it is, with modes like Follow, Circle, and Rocket. You love Follow mode best, because the drone trails you like a small, loyal dog buzzing through the air.
Joy has been printing multiple small toys a day, with Mom at the helm of the app. The first week involved quite a bit of troubleshooting—I had to get the internet signal dialed in for a 2.4 GHz connection—but after a router replacement, all is well. Now we’re printing toys like Santa’s 3D workshop. You and Eliza have made dragons, frogs, toothpaste tube pushers, catapults, rubber band shooters, and a whole plethora of other small objects. You’ve started coloring them for extra detail and giving many of them to friends, which I really appreciate. I love seeing how thoughtful you are—and, admittedly, how many of these plastic toys are making their way out of the house.
The surprise hits might have been the table tennis converter and the rotary tool—both of them Mom’s ideas. We play some table tennis at the island, but our dining table turns out to be the perfect size, and we’ve been hitting the ball a lot. You and Eliza are both getting the form and touch down so we can rally, and Mom and I like playing together too. It really is a family gift.
As for the rotary tool, Mom absolutely nailed it. You love finding sticks in the woods and whittling them into spears or carving your name into them. This powered tool lets you drill, carve, and etch more easily, and you’ve already spent a lot of time shaping wood with your imagination. I bet you’ll get even more out of it this summer.
What I like most about this year’s Christmas is that so many of the gifts are about creating. The “little kid” gifts were a fun phase, but I’m glad we’re entering one that’s more about using tools to bring your ideas to life—and even capturing some of those big ideas from the sky with a drone.
Love,
Dad