She secretly thought of them as historical documents. All the facts of their lives were there, after all, recorded in brief dispatches.
-- Narrator (Chapter 1 paragraph 5)

Importance: Angela’s idea that her Christmas letters were historical documents became ironic, as it was these letters, filled with facts about her family that would later help her to remember her family.

She thought of all her Christmas letters over the decades. All those bright, happy letters, putting the best possible spin on their lives, making it sound as though the Gillespies were the luckiest, loveliest, most successful, well-balanced, supportive family in all Australia, and possibly even the world. She had always skipped over any troubles. Avoided mention of any tensions. Edited out any sticky subjects. It had felt like the right thing to do, even if she knew they sometimes sounded too good to be true.
-- Narrator (Chapter 1 paragraph 33)

Importance: Angela realized her past Christmas letters had made her family sound...