The one I write in December

 "...not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse"

This time of year has always been a time of reflection for me.  A time for family, warm fires, and closure.  A time to slow down and unwind with close friends and also to look forward to the following year.  This year as I look back, I realize that while this is is my last post of the year, it is also my first of 2019.  I cannot believe I have been so busy that I have not written a single personal blog post this entire year. 

I made a mental note at the beginning of the year to write more, and I did, just not here. In 2019 I wrote or contributed to more than a dozen business blog posts for SparkPost, contributed to copious amounts of internal documentation, and found the time to squeeze in a short story or two.  However, that is not really the same as writing down personal thoughts in a blog or journal and I commit to doing better next year.

More than anything, I like to take time in December to summarize and mentally untangle the chaos that happened in the previous months. Winter walks, time with family and the smell of fir and cedar make that work for me.

There is something very calming about literally roasting chestnuts over an open fire with the snow falling around you.  It is something that just has to be experienced.

Whether you spend this time of year with presents under a Christmas Tree or lighting a Menorah, or airing grievances during Festivus, or keeping a Yule log lit, I wish you a joyous season and look forward to a prosperous new year.