Merry Christmas, everyone, and Happy Holidays aside!

I would like to reach out and do something that my family used to do each Christmas. My father would organize it, but naturally, it usually meant his son "the writer" would be left actually putting things to words as we wrote a family letter to all our friends and relatives. Sometimes, I'd write as Santa, or myself, or at times, the family dog- and Dad would always say it was the best thing he'd ever read. Now, he's gone, and Mom hasn't the spirit for it this year- but I still have a few things to say. Obviously, the squeaky-clean family letter didn't delve much into my real profession, nor to the people that saw the real me- so here we are. I'm posting it here to anyone that cares to read, and to wish you the best in 2025.

The biggest change this year was, naturally, moving. I left my hometown of Orlando permanently, starting a new chapter in a small town called Winter Haven here in Florida- and all the happier for it. Admittedly, it is only an hour's drive from Orlando, but in some ways, it may as well be on a different continent. My roommates,  silver-stag and  dracoe.mccaulley, are some of my dearest friends and the town we live in is lively, friendly, but most importantly, quiet. It's such a welcome boon compared to the noise, crowds, and high prices of Orlando, and the house, while humble, is comfortable and we're working to make it our own. It's still a work in progress, but I'm hoping to really make it something special. I've recently been hired on to begin substitute teaching again, a prior profession before my permanent teaching position, and honestly, I'm excited for it. I'm optimistic that the new county will be better managed than my old one, and it will be pretty hard to find worse standards than what I left a few years ago. Otherwise, I continue to work on commissions, as you all well know. I appreciate the opportunity to continue to write, but it has been hard times for everyone- so I'm looking for different avenues to make extra money. I've also recently been named Senior Editor of Blackwarren Books, and we are very excited to get some new publications out in 2025- but I don't want this to be an ad, so watch this space for more info later.

As for me, personally, the year was tough. I've been in a constant state of being near broke and struggling to pay off bills and debts, not helped by the insane amounts of money we spent moving and dealing with a predatory contract from our old apartment. My financial problems aside, it was the first full year without my dad, and I'm still feeling that loss heavily. Everything still feels like the first time without him, because in many ways it is- after he passed shortly before Thanksgiving last year, the entire holiday season felt like a grey blur, like it wasn't even real. New Year's passed, and I didn't fully feel like myself again until shortly around my birthday, after we moved. I feel like I'd be lost without my friends to keep my head on straight. I also had little time for personal projects, and I've fallen off what was, until then, a very successful dieting and exercise routine. But, there's reason to be optimistic- the possibility of financial stability at long last will make things easier, and until then, hard work, discipline, and grit will have to carry me the rest of the way.

Naturally, the big events like the election have effected me too- I have family- actually, most of my family- that were very happy with the results, and the majority of my friends were not. To those still reeling, I'd like to offer this- there is always something to do, and always a way to work towards something better. It may feel like the tide's going to slip over your head, and you may feel scared of what the future might bring. My mom is fond of saying that God never gives us more than we can handle, but of course, that advice may ring hollow for some people- so instead I say to you, remember, there is always something to do. You are never powerless, and the trick the people in charge have is making you feel like you are- don't let them trick you. Be good to one another, because the small things tend to ripple out- to riff off Tolkien, it's the small acts of kindness that best keep the darkness at bay.

As for 2025? I have plans. I want to strike hard, and hit the ground running- I'm going back on my workout routine, and I'm going to get my schedule settled. More stories, more commissions, less time moping, doom-scrolling, and zoning out. Personal projects will be done; the first project I've served as editor for is due out in March, and after that, a new book of my own. I remain committed to being a storyteller, and want to entertain people wherever I end up. I hope that these last few days of 2024 can bring some comfort and joy to you all; the old letters usually ended with a line from Dad about remembering always the birth of Christ as the "true reason for the season," and while I will be in church tomorrow and worshipping the baby in the manger, however you choose to celebrate the season, I hope you do it with people you love. To riff off one more writer that's better than me, remember that no one is a failure who has friends.

God bless us every one, and Happy New Year,
-Renard