2025 Year-End Post and Holiday Greeting

If you're one of my new newsletter subscribers and/or a regular blog reader, you already know that one of my annual traditions is to prepare and mail holiday greeting cards. Although fewer and fewer folks send out year-end greetings, I continue to prioritize this tradition—as a way to reflect on the past and make way for the future, stay connected with family and friends, and to enjoy another creative outlet. 

If you've read some of my past year-end posts, you know by now that each year I begin the process by paging through my (old-style) calendar, making note of the highlights and ordinary happenings, and identifying themes. I approach the task as an exercise in creative expression, aiming to share our family’s news in a way that is reflective of the world events and/or a major aspect of our personal lives. 

Although I am acutely aware of deep levels of pain and suffering in our world, I often choose to center my annual reflection closer to home and on more joyful aspects of our lived experience. It would be quite an understatement to say that this year was a doozy, and yet still, there were bountiful experiences that brought laughter and joy, including some very special family trips, memorable outings, and LOTS of live music.  

My hometown of Portland, Oregon made national headlines on several occasions this past year, including news stories featuring the Emergency Naked Bike Ride and the Portland Frog Brigade, so it seemed fitting that I'd choose one of those themes to center my greeting on this year. Surprise, surprise, I went with the frogs! 

This theme allowed me to lean into the element of protest that has been a major part of the year, but to do so in a cheerful and playful way (if you're not yet familiar with the Portland Frog Brigade's philosophy and approach to exercising our First Amendment right to free speech, I encourage you to read up on it here.) This theme also allowed me to continue the creative aspect of experimenting with online tools such as Canva and offered the opportunity to lean into my punny side. 

In previous posts I have written about my misgivings about writing silly books in such a serious world, and the same could be said about a holiday greetings, but I always come back to embracing humor and joy.

As I designed, refined, and reflected on this year's update, I was reminded again and again how much I love to laugh out loud and hear the laughter of others; how precious life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness is to me; how dear the freedom of speech is to me; and how powerful art can be. 

Here's to another year of hopping along with friends and family, finding our voices, making our art, and creating the world we want to live in. 

2024 Year-End Post and Holiday Greeting

As I’ve shared in this space before, one of my annual traditions is to prepare and mail holiday greeting cards. Although fewer and fewer folks send out year-end greetings, I continue to prioritize this annual tradition—as a way to reflect on the past and make way for the future, stay connected with family and friends, and to enjoy another creative outlet. 

If you are one of my regular readers, you know by now that each year I begin the process by paging through my (old-style) calendar, making note of the highlights and ordinary happenings. I next look for themes. I approach the task as an exercise in creative expression, aiming to share our family’s news in a way that is reflective of the world events and/or a major aspect of our personal lives. And, while I am acutely aware of deep levels of pain and suffering in our world, I often choose to center my annual reflection closer to home and on more joyful aspects of our lived experience. 

There were some very difficult experiences for our family this year, including the loss of my mom which I mentioned in my last post. But there were also many joyful events, including my youngest child graduating college and our family taking TWO very special trips together. Our most recent family adventure was visiting Italy, which is dear to us all for many reasons, including the friendships we developed through hosting a most wonderful exchange student from Milan back in 2017 and both kids studying abroad in Italy during college, (one in Florence, one in Siena). Add to that my mom's Italian heritage and her love for pizza (eating it and making it), and a slice-of-life pizza theme seemed the right choice for this year's greeting: 

As in years past, this year's greeting involved the creative stretch of using more graphics (even if it doesn't look very fancy, it challenged me a bit!) and gave me an excuse to continue experimenting with online tools such as Canva. Like most years, the greeting format required me to prioritize what I wanted to communicate and be concise in my wording—also a challenge! This practice continues to support my growth in other aspects of my creative writing journey. 

As I designed, refined, and reflected on this year’s update, I was reminded that pizza (and life) is a collection of ingredients and slices that come together to make the whole pie. Some bites are glorious. Some are a little harder to swallow. Some pizzas are so enticing, we jump right in and take a big bite...and might burn the roof of our mouth! Other times, we fill up before the pizza is finished, and we have something left over for the next day. Pizza for breakfast (I like mine cold) is a completely different meal than piping hot pizza for dinner or lunch. And it's a good reminder that pizza, like stories, can become something new (and potentially even tastier) when stored away to revisit another time. It's also a good reminder that we all have our favorite go-to toppings, but it's also nice to step outside of our comfort zones and try something completely new. This idea can be applied to our creative lives, too! 

With this in mind, I'm currently participating in fellow children's author, Julie Hedlund's 12 Days of Christmas for Writers series for the first time. In today's module, Julie pointed out that New Year's resolutions traditionally start from a place of what didn't get done or achieved in the previous year. She suggests that instead of making resolutions for the coming year, we reflect on, write down, and share our SUCCESSES from the previous year. Given that 2024 was a bit of a doozy for me, I was quite surprised that I was able to quickly scribble down 20 successes. I share them here as a way to try something new in my creative life and as a way to build a foundation (and inspire myself, and maybe you?!) for next year. Here is my list: 

1. Signed with a literary agent (thank you Gaby Cabezut for bringing me into the Seymour Family, and to fellow author, Stephanie Shaw, for being one of my kindest, and most supportive friends and fans).

2. Started (and finished!) a new manuscript that I had been noodling for quite some time, but had not yet put on paper. I adore this story, and it is currently out on submission. (Thank you again, Gaby!)

3. Made significant revisions on two additional stories (that I also love), one of which is also now on submission (Thank you again, Gaby -- do you see a theme here?!)

4. Obtained my rights back on several of my previously published works, allowing for agent Gaby to now market some previously unexercised rights.

5. Participated in several fun and successful in-person book festivals / book signing events. 

6. Was invited to participate as a guest blogger for Tara Lazar's Storystorm (a great honor, as a longtime participant-participant). 

7. Hosted an Ask me Anything (AMA) session over Zoom that I really enjoyed. I want to do more of this!

8. Was interviewed for two different in-depth "meet the author" features. 

9. Celebrated the release of my longtime critique partner's debut picture book.

10. Met some lovely people and got to know some other author friends better as a result of hosting them on my blog (find a summary of these posts here and here)

11. Participated in Julie Hedlund's 12x12 challenge for the first time, making new friends and learning a lot along the way.

12. Enjoyed the heck out of giving away several copies of my book, LUCY'S BLOOMS, in celebration of World Kindness Day.

13. Was honored that several of my signed books were given to beloved children for the holidays. 

14. Had the pleasure of helping and encouraging several aspiring authors on their own creative journeys. 

15. Shared friendship and support with a few of my longtime author pals. 

16. Had some great school visits and enjoyable stops at bookstores.

17. Had friends reach out to me to share pictures of my books spotted "out in the wild." (This is always such a treat! Thank you, friends!)

18. Enjoyed interacting more regularly on Instagram (and dipped my foot in the BlueSky pool).

19. Applied for and was accepted for several author festival-type events that will take place in the coming year. 

20. Was hired to present the 2025 keynote address at a major early learning conference where I've presented several breakout workshops in the past.

So there you have it ... a quick recap of some of my successes in the past year. And here is the really cool part: There were likely several other successes that didn't pop into my head right away, that will come to my mind over time, now that I've focused my thinking in this way, written it down, and shared it with you, here. Cool beans. Thanks for the nudge, Julie!

And now back to pizza: As the New Year gets underway, I anticipate there will be opportunities to settle into some familiar favorites, try out some new-to-me ingredients and other opportunities to let today's creations sit and chill for a bit before digging back in. 

Here’s to a pizza topped with Peace, Love, Joy, and Creativity in the New Year. 

Buon Appetito to you and yours!  

P.S. I would love to hear some of YOUR successes in the past year -- feel encouraged to drop them into the comments! 

2023 Year-End Post and Holiday Greeting

As I’ve shared in this space before, one of the ways I reflect on the past and make way for the future is through the tradition of preparing and mailing holiday greeting cards. Although fewer and fewer folks send out year-end greetings, I continue to look forward to this annual tradition—both the receiving and displaying of cards, letters, and photos from friends and family and the preparation of my own annual update. 

If you are one of my regular readers, you know by now that each year I begin the process by paging through my (old-style) calendar, making note of the highlights and ordinary happenings in our household. I next look for themes. I approach the task as an exercise in creative expression, aiming to share our family’s news in a way that is reflective of the world events and/or a major aspect of our personal lives. And, while I am acutely aware of deep levels of pain and suffering in our world, I often choose to center my annual reflection closer to home and on more joyful aspects of our lived experience. 

There were some significant milestones for our family this year, including my oldest child moving out of the family home and my youngest child turning 21 and studying abroad in Siena, Italy—wine country. Closer to home, over the course of the year our family listened to live music and enjoyed a myriad of picnics and happy hours over shared bottles of wine. We visited several local wineries, and hosted our beloved 2017 exchange student, (aka our Italian son) and his family for a visit—which, not surprisingly, involved some fine wine. Add to that the glasses that have been emptied with like-minded folks over the past year whilst lamenting about the state of our world and strategizing for the future, and a holiday greeting that incorporated different wine labels seemed the perfect pour for this year: 

This year’s greeting entailed more customized graphics than I have used in the past, which stretched me creatively and gave me an excuse to experiment more fully with online tools such as Canva. It also required me to prioritize what I wanted to communicate and be concise in my wording—also a challenge! This practice will serve me well in other aspects of my creative writing journey. 

As I designed, refined, and reflected on this year’s update, I was reminded that fine wines tend to get better with age, and similarly, the strongest stories ripen over time. I was also reminded that individuals have different tastes and preferences for wine, just as individual agents, editors, and readers have different tastes and preferences for stories. Some types of wine pair more naturally with certain occasions and/or particular meals, and some stories pair more naturally with certain moments in time and/or particular readers. The quest is for strong pairings. 

As a New Year gets underway, I anticipate there will be times to crack open new and fresh varietals to taste and explore, and there will be times to reach into the cellar for a well-aged vintage, open it, and let it breathe. 
Here’s to a generous pour of Peace, Love, Joy, and Creativity in the New Year. Cheers to you and yours!

2022 Year-End Post and Holiday Greeting

We've once again safely arrived to that time of year when we reflect on the past, intentionally connect with others, and make plans for the future. As I've mentioned before, although it seems like fewer and fewer people send year-end greetings, I look forward to this annual tradition—both the receiving of cards, letters, and photos from friends and family and the preparation of my own annual update.

Each year, I begin the process by paging through my (old-style) calendar and making note of the highlights and ordinary happenings in our household. Then I look for themes. I approach the task as an opportunity for creative expression, aiming to convey our family news in a way that is also reflective of the trends or events in our world and/or a major aspect of our personal lives. 

Over the past year our family has had the opportunity to travel to a wide variety of amazing destinations, so a holiday greeting modeled after a reservation listing for a travel booking site we regularly use seemed to fit the bill: 

Travel (and hosting travelers) has been a longstanding and important companion to my creative journey. Most of my best story ideas and story solutions come to me when I am "in motion," and the sensory experiences of being in new spaces and places opens me up to new ideas. 

Although I love to dream about and plan new trips, I often get stressed out and even resistant to the idea of leaving home when I'm in the preparation/coordination and packing stages of travel. But once I arrive to my destination and begin seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, and touching new and different things, I'm "all in." 

Upon reflection, I realize that's very similar to my writing journey. I love to dream up new story ideas and noodle on story problems, but once I sit down to my desk to do the work of writing, it's not unusual for me to freeze up and resist actually putting words on the page. But once I start physically writing or typing, something magical happens, and I'm transported to a headspace that allows me to create something new.  

This year's annual greeting captures some of the journeys my family has experienced together and individually over the past year. I look forward to new adventures in the year to come -- on the map and on the page. I wish you and yours a safe journey into a new year filled with experiences that bring Peace, Love, Joy, and Creativity into your life and into our world. 

2021 Year-End Post and Holiday Greeting

It's that time of year when we reflect on the past, intentionally connect with others, and make plans for the future. One of the ways I reflect and connect is through the tradition of preparing and mailing holiday greeting cards.

Each year I page through my (old-style) calendar and make note of the highlights and ordinary happenings in our household. I approach this task as an opportunity for creative expression, aiming to convey our family news in a way that also reflects the current trends, events, and/or themes in our world. 

This year I chose a word search format to share our family updates, using a tool available at https://worksheets.theteacherscorner.net/make-your-own/word-search/# (which, incidentally, is a great resource for educators): 

Although the word search format is not as clearly indicative of the year's theme as the past few have been (2020, 2019, and 2018), I do think that words have been a key aspect of the past year: the words we use to communicate with each other; the words that have newly entered our casual conversations (i.e. vaccines, masks, Moderna); the words we pay attention to; the words we ignore; the words we welcome; the words we shun; and the importance of discerning words that are true and words that are untrue in an era when words are deliberately weaponized for self gain.  

Words are powerful. They can be used to love. They can be used to hate. They can be used to help. They can be used to hurt. They can be amplified. They can be silenced. They can inform, and they can misinform.  

Words are the raw material that I work with as an author, and as a picture book author in particular, I spend my writing time searching for just-right words for each and every sentence in each and every story I write. 

This year's annual greeting captures some of the words that are reflective of my family's 2021 story. I look forward to experiencing, writing, and sharing new stories with the people I love in the coming year.  May you do the same. And may words such as Peace, Joy, and Love find their way into our lives and into our world in the New Year. 

Katia, Sam, Dawn, and Nikko, 2021

2020 Year-End Post and Holiday Greeting

As I've mentioned in years past, I still participate in the tradition of preparing and mailing holiday greeting cards. Each year I page through my (old-style) calendar and make note of the highlights and ordinary happenings in our household. I approach the task as an opportunity for creative expression, aiming to convey our family news in a way that is also reflective of the trends and/or events in our world...and OH what a year it has been. 

Beings that this year was an election year like no other, and the first year our two kids were eligible to vote in a presidential election, I felt the obvious choice was to express our family news in the form of a ballot: 

As I wrote, re-read, and reflected on this year's update, what struck me most was how full our "family ballot" was despite spending so much of the year at home. Yes, we have each missed out on favorite events and activities as well as several special occasions and milestones. Yes, we are going a bit stir crazy. And YES, we are looking forward to the world opening up again, (hopefully very, very SOON!), but we have found ways to connect, engage, create and learn, and we have made memories that will not soon be forgotten. 

Make no mistake, we are ready for a new year and a new normal that is reminiscent of our pre-COVID lives, but we have done our fool best to be open to and present in the offerings of 2020. As a result, our characters (and our relationships with each other) have grown and developed in ways we couldn't have anticipated or imagined this time last year; and that it what good stories are made of. 

Sam, Dawn, Katia and Nikko, 2020

2019 Year-End Post and Holiday Greetings

As I've mentioned before, although it seems fewer and fewer people send annual holiday greetings, I treasure this tradition each year--both the receiving of cards, letters, and photos from friends and family near and far, and the preparation of my own annual update.

Dawn, Katia, Nikko, and Sam, 2019

Each year I try to provide a relevant update embedded in some creative format. In most cases, I've also published a year-end blog post that incorporates the holiday greeting for that year. Here is a link to a summary of past years' greetings.

Reports and redactions factored heavily into 2019, and so the same have been incorporated into this year’s annual missive:

As I wrote, read, re-read, and reflected on this year’s update, what struck me most is that details matter—and when key details are blocked from view, the story feels decidedly incomplete.

May the coming year bring the details that are important in our stories, our lives, and our world into clearer view.

Warm wishes
Dawn

2018 Year-End Post (Albeit Belated)

As I've mentioned before, although fewer and fewer people send annual holiday greetings, I continue to treasure this tradition--both the receiving of cards, letters, and photos from friends and family near and far, and the preparation of my own annual update.

Each year I try to provide a relevant update embedded in some creative format. In most cases, I've also published a year-end blog post that incorporates the holiday greeting for that year. Here is a link to a summary of past years' greetings.

This year I gave some thought to why it is that I hold onto this tradition. It turns out there are many reasons:

-I like good old fashioned hard-copy versions of things. Case in point: I still use an old-style calendar/planner. (I am a little horrified to see the finger prints smeared all over my 2018 edition, but look at how fat that one is as compared to the fresh and new one for 2019. Isn't that just marvelous?)  My calendars serve the joint purpose of being a planner and a historical record of life events. This is important, given that I'm not a regular journaler (I know this is akin to admitting my other dark secret ... shhhh... I'm the only children's author I know who is not a huge fan of the Harry Potter books. Sadly, this admission may flub any chance I had of realizing my dream of working with Arthur Levine on at least one book at some point in my career. Sigh).

Anyhow, even though I don't journal in the traditional sense, I do write a variety of things down in my calendar, and I keep them year after year. I'm actually very particular about my calendars. I can only use one with this specific layout (MTW on the left, TH/FRI on right, Sat/Sun on bottom right). I've tried using other formats before, and I feel completely out of sorts (not to mention risking all types of scheduling mistakes). Wednesday absolutely must be on the lower left and Thursday absolutely must be on the upper right... Nothing else will do for me.


I should also note that my planner doesn't really take the place of a journal. My planner is mainly filled with appointments and to-dos, not "memories" or feelings. I do occasionally use a monthly calendar to write down memories. I kept a calendar of this nature for both of my pregnancies and for the first year of both of my kids' lives. (This was at the suggestion of a dear friend of mine who isn't a writer, and who I regularly encourage to journal. Go figure!)

I'm a blogger of course, and also a letter writer. I've written long letters to friends in Australia (though admittedly those have slowed down over the years), and I'm still old fashioned when it comes to hand-written thank you notes. When my kids were little, I wrote them letters on the eve of their birthdays (guilty confession: I petered out on this when they got a bit older, mainly because the energy it gook to parent them, sapped me of the energy I needed to reflect on their current ages and stages and write about it...do you see a pattern here?) Since my daughter has headed off to college, I've started the practice of writing her letters about her childhood. This has been therapeutic for me, and enjoyable for her. I've also written to my son, who is still in high school, a few times, and I aim to step up my letter writing to him this year (no need to wait until he goes off to college to connect with him in this way).

I've also been fairly diligent in about writing (journaling, actually) during family trips to faraway places, and I typically write debriefing notes to myself after major trips and/or major life experiences or events. This  brings me closer to the reason that I value the ritual of creating my annual holiday greeting. This tradition provides me with the opportunity to reflect and remember, and then share. When it comes to powerful or emotional topics, I'm one that needs to ponder and mull on things before I can write about them. I admire people who can write about "today" today, but that's not me. The more intense the emotion or situation, the longer it will take for me to get it down on paper (I particularly admire the people who can reflect on and poignantly write about the current events/state of affairs in our country and our world. I'm still thinking about and pondering the injustices of last week or last month, while these speedier processors are writing about events from today or yesterday.)

But, once a year, I sit down with my calendar, and I gather up the events of the life I share with my family, and I make sure to get it down on paper. I take into consideration what is going on in in terms of world or local events (or familial themes), and I try to share our family's story in a format that is reflective of those world events or familial themes. Past greeting formats have included trail maps, graphs, trading cards, and game boards.

This year, hashtags were a big part of our national conversation ... and so hashtags factored heavily in my #2018 #Holiday #Greeting. #HappyNewYear #Friends. Here it is:

Year-End Greetings and Holiday Letters, Summary Post

Although it seems fewer and fewer people send annual holiday greetings, I treasure this tradition each year--both the receiving of cards, letters, and photos from friends and family near and far, and the preparation of my own annual update.

Katia, Nikko, Dawn, & Sam, 2018

Each year I try to provide a relevant update embedded in some creative format. In most cases, I've also published a year-end blog post that incorporates the holiday greeting for that year. Here is a summary of those posts:

2025

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017 (I prepared and sent a holiday greeting, but I did not write a 2017 reflection post, as my focus was on the care and company of beloved family members in their last days of life.)

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012 (This post continues to be one of my most widely-read posts, with over 46,000 views.)

As I reflect on each of these posts I see a mixture of blessings and heartbreak. I'm reminded of the importance of working for a better world in big ways and small. I'm warmed by memories of family travels, book launches, enduring friendships, and ordinary happenings. But mostly, I'm filled with gratitude for life, good health, and love.

May you experience peace, love, and joy in the coming year.

2016 Year End Post, Albeit Belated

I took a break from blogging after the election. I spent time grieving. I spent time reflecting. I spent time taking positive ACTion (and will continue taking positive ACTion in the days and weeks and months ahead).

Today I listened to President Obama's last Press Conference as President of the United States. He opened with a statement about the important role of a free and vibrant press. He said, "I spent a lot of time on my — in my farewell address talking about the state of our democracy. It goes without saying that essential to that is a free press. That is part of how this place, this country, this grand experiment of self-government has to work. It doesn’t work if we don’t have a well-informed citizenry, and you are the conduit through which they receive the information about what’s taking place in the halls of power." (Quoted from the full transcript from the New York Times.)

There are many things the recent election has illuminated for me. One of those things is how much I value a free and vibrant press. I now subscribe to several news sources, and I encourage others to do the same. I have also implemented a new practice in my home, whereby I ask my teenager to read and discuss one credible news article a day. Hopefully this practice will support his development into an active, engaged citizen and a critical consumer of information. I've been very proud of the way my son has risen to this challenge I've placed before him, and his insights and opinions have challenged me to be a more critical thinker as well.  

As President Obama answered the last question at the Press Conference, he acknowledged that parents generally like to brag about their children, then he gushed about his own daughters, saying, "But man, my daughters are something. And--they just surprise and enchant and impress me more and more every single day as they grow up." It is no secret that I am a big fan of President Obama; his delight for his children is one of the many reasons I admire him so.

I too like to gush about my children, and my annual holiday letter is one way that I do that. Although it seems that fewer and fewer people send annual holiday greetings, I treasure this tradition each year. Both the receiving of cards, letters, and photos from friends and family near and far, and the preparation of my own annual update. Each year I try to provide a relevant update embedded in some creative format (here are examples from 2012,  2013, 2014, and 2015). This year I leaned into the "news" theme:

In the coming year, I will continue to give my time and attention to the local and national issues that compel me, and one of the issues I will more actively advocate for and support is a free and vibrant press. A logical extension of my longstanding advocacy for Strong School Libraries and information literacy, don't you think? 

2015 Year End Post and Love Note to September Dawn from December Dawn

I've heard from several sources that fewer and fewer people are sending annual holiday greetings. I treasure this tradition each year. Both the receiving of cards, letters, and photos from friends and family near and far, and the preparation of my own annual update. Each year I try to provide a relevant update embedded in some creative format (here are examples from 2012,  2013, and 2014).

Here is my 2015 update, followed by a letter I penned to myself a bit earlier today entitled, "Love Note to September Dawn from December Dawn."

2015 Update:


Excerpt of Letter to Myself: 

December 31, 2015

Dear September Dawn,

The kids are back-to-school and you are eager to get started on new projects and/or projects that were back-burnered over the summer. This is Katia’s senior year, after all, so there are likely LOTS of projects. Christmas is the furthest thing from your mind. But you have time on your hands now. Things start getting busy in October. They get crazy busy in November. And by December you are stressed and frustrated with yourself for not planning ahead. 

Plan ahead this year. Get the holiday greeting card designed now. Plan what you want to do for the holiday craft this year and get going on it early. You absolutely must have it figured out BEFORE you go to Sunriver for Thanksgiving so you can work on it during your time there. There is nice down-time in Sunriver to do this sort of thing, but you MUST PLAN AHEAD to have the craft supplies identified and purchased before the Thanksgiving trip to Sunriver in order to use that relaxing time for crafting time. You are also more likely to get the kids involved and helping you in that environment.

Begin thinking about what you want to get the kids for Christmas. Actually, don’t just think about it, act on it. In years past (2015 was no exception), you made good notes for yourself as to what to buy the kids, but then you waited too long to go out and actually get the items, so you engaged in a frantic last-minute race around town, in heavy traffic and nasty weather to try to find things that had long since sold out. This happened for several items on your must-have list. Don’t do this to yourself this year. Oh, and plan ahead so you can actually send something to out of town family before Christmas instead of the week after Christmas (or later).

It would be so nice if the last few days before Christmas could be filled with some fun outings/activities, holiday baking, and relaxing movies instead of last minute shopping and frantic wrapping and crazed making of crafts for gifts! This will be Katia’s last high school Christmas. Plan ahead so that you can decorate early (instead of having the boxes out for weeks, but no bandwidth to decorate until a few days before Christmas). The kids are getting out of school earlier in December in 2016. Plan ahead so that all of the Christmas hustle bustle is done before the kids are out of school so you can enjoy family time (and friend time) with them once school has ended. Oh, and there is NO NEED to wait until December 31st to make annual donations. Just get them done. They can be done in September. Or October. Send them in and check that off the list. 

Okay. That’s it. Realize this was written after a wonderful Christmas, but a Christmas in which the lead-up was somewhat stressful (amplified by the fact that there were work projects and water issues that took more time than anticipated, and weekends in November and December that were full of racquetball and basketball tournaments, so even though you had blocked out what seemed like a lot of time in early December, it wasn’t enough time to get everything that needed to be done, done).

Please consider my advice in the helpful spirit in which is was intended and follow it, September Dawn. Love, December Dawn. 

*****

Happy New Year, folks! May it be a year filled with joy, love and laughter (and advanced planning!) : ).

xox December Dawn