Looking Back
Gratitude for the Season and the Year Gone By
Hello, friends,
On this, the morning before Christmas, I thought I’d simply post a little bit of a chat, reflecting on the year gone by. It’s so easy, as we reach the holiday season and the looming end of the year, to focus on what didn’t get done. Projects languishing. To-do lists that haunt us. Piles of things surrounding us, both physical and metaphorical. But today I’m more interested in what got accomplished.
This is the first year I’m spending Christmas in SoCal with my mother. Nearly every year since I moved to Los Angeles in 2002, I’ve traveled back east for the holiday, the only exceptions being two years where the cost of the flight was so egregious that we celebrated in early January instead. But this fall, I finally moved my mother out to live near me. It’s the culmination of two years of caretaking, of prepping and selling her condo, of juggling my life with hers, and I am incredibly grateful to be taking the chaos down several notches. No fighting through airports or chasing down lost luggage or worrying about weather that could cancel my flights. We’re getting a good soaking this week in the L.A. area, and in Pasadena that means some flood warnings due to the fires last winter, but even so, I’m looking forward to a cozy, peaceful holiday.
It would be easy to look at moving my mother as the one accomplishment of the year, because it honestly dwarfed most of my other efforts. But when I take a moment and really think back over 2025, despite all its problems, I can find so many other things that give me a sense of progress or warm my heart. I’m so grateful to my amazing friends who have put up with my craziness and supported me through the ups and downs of not just this year but the past couple as well. I’m especially grateful for my friend who put me up back in Connecticut, after we sold my mom’s condo but before I was ready to come back to Pasadena, and my friends in Pasadena, who put me up while I was apartment hunting. Anyone who has ever had a roommate for any length of time understands that friends who are willing to live with you—even temporarily—are the gold standard.
On an exciting note, I finally managed to ramp this newsletter up to mostly once a week, which had been a goal from the start. I owe so much to the London Writers’ Salon, with their daily writers’ hours, because joining them in July proved the turning point in my ability to write regularly. Without a doubt, I’ve written more words in the last six months than I have in any year of the last decade. And I’m so thankful to all of you lovely readers, who tune in and comment and chat with me about books and writing and publishing. I look forward to seeing what the next year brings.
It’s also been a year that slowly enabled me to get back to reading more for work. I’ve chatted with dozens of lovely writers during pitches and read some truly interesting queries, and there’s plenty more to go through, but I’m genuinely excited to discover new stories and take on some new clients. There are always new challenges on the horizon with publishing, and I’m gearing up for battle.
For the first time in a while, I can look back on the year and balance the events that make me groan with things that make me smile. And that’s not a bad place to start 2026.
I’ll circle back next week to discuss thoughts on planning for the new year, especially as pertains to writing. But for now, I’m settling into Christmas mode, which means doing a few things for myself. I’ll spend tomorrow afternoon with my mother, but until then, I’m on my own. I’m going to light my tree, cook a few things in advance for tomorrow, give myself a manicure, and settle in with some holiday reads.
For anyone who has been participating in my December Writing Challenge, I hope you’ve had some fun, productive sessions this month. Don’t forget you have a couple of free days, if you’ve yet to take them off. Or go ahead and skip those and see what comes of it! If you’ve only written a few days, don’t give yourself a hard time. The point of the challenge is to write more than you might have otherwise. All the words count and bring you closer to your goals, whatever they might be.
That’s it for today. Wishing a very merry Christmas to those of you who celebrate, and a wonderful last stretch of 2025 to everyone. I know this can be a very difficult time of year for many people, for myriad reasons, and I hope you find a little light, whatever you’re facing. Love to you all. Until next time. 🥰