As Amelia Theodore of Wren Island would say, Christmas has come and gone.
Like Amelia on the Christmas Day she was referring to, I did not see whales. But un-like Amelia, I’m not thinking of my Christmas as a total bust.
First, there were lovely preparations and build-up, complete with a decorated tree—which doesn’t happen every year at my house. (Based on a recent survey, many Wren Islanders sometimes opt out of decorating a tree.)
Then, there was the joy of releasing Part 3 of Wren Island with Wallace Around. (I hope you’ll send me a message and let me know what you want to happen next!)
On the heels of Wallace’s release, my family visited the Bavarian village of Leavenworth, Washington. Nestled in the Cascade Mountains, the picturesque town goes all out with Christmas lights and trimmings. Add in bratwurst, gingerbread cookies, and indie bookstore A Book for All Seasons, and you’ve a delightful holiday experience.
Then we were home for a quiet Christmas Eve and Day, shadowed by the death of a dear family friend who would have been 99 years old in February. I don’t remember a time without her steady, encouraging presence. Life ahead feels oddly unfamiliar.
Turning up the brightness again, hubby and I buzzed over to another iconic Pacific Northwest spot, Cannon Beach, Oregon, to celebrate a pastor friend’s retirement. Then home again, home again, jiggety jig, to ring in the new year.
We had promised friends we’d wear party eyeglasses flashing Happy New Year, but couldn’t drum up enthusiasm for it because a loved one had just received a devastating medical diagnosis.
So many highs and lows, stacked on more highs and lows.
While chatting with a friend over tea, I voiced what I’ve often thought.
“Every emotion feels bigger during the holidays. The joys thrill more. The griefs reach deeper. No matter what’s happening, it feels bigger during the holidays.”
Over her own mug of tea, my friend sighed. “Thank God it’s not always this way.”
Now we find ourselves in the first days of a fresh new year. A time for dreaming, planning, wondering, and shaping.
A lot is going to happen on Wren Island in 2025. I can’t wait to share it with you! Fun times will be had by all!
But for the moment, I think I’ll let myself stay in slow motion. Enjoy the peace of another holiday season having come to an end. Spend extra time with my morning tea, read another good book. Remember a lifelong friend, pray for another’s healing. Snuggle with my warm, wiggling doggie. Journal about my dreams, fears, hopes.
What about you, my friend? How are you easing into this fresh new year?
(This post is adapted from a note I wrote my subscribers in the winter of 2025. If you’d like to be the first to read more notes like these, subscribe here.)
[Photo courtesy of Unsplash.]
