Merry Christmas — reflecting on 2018 and looking forward to 2019

Thinking about it, 2018 hasn’t been a particularly notable year. Then again, in 2017 I got a new job, and I got engaged. So that was always going to be a tough act to follow.

This does feel like a watershed Christmas though. 2018 has been about preparing the ground for the future. Because this is the last Christmas before Alex and I get married. The big day is now less than two months away.

I have never felt less prepared for Christmas. I feel like I say that every year. But this year it really feels true.

December has crept by almost unnoticed by me. It’s been a packed month, and I felt real alarm that I had run out of time to buy gifts, send cards, or even get into the Christmas mindset.

Life gets busier year after year. The past few months have been particularly busy at work, and home life gets no less interesting.

With the wedding to plan for, I think I can forgive myself for letting the Christmas plans slip.

It’s already been a busy Christmas since I clocked off at work. On Friday we had Airbnb guests arrive to stay in our spare room over Christmas, then went to a house party. At the weekend we visited friends in East Lothian. Yesterday we visited my parents for my dad’s birthday, and now we’re with Alex’s parents.

In a few days we fly to Sweden to spend new year with friends. We fly back on 2 January, then it’s straight back to work on the 3rd.

With work set to be busy for several months ahead, our wedding in February, and part-time study from March until July, the prospect of a rest feels distant right now.

But for all the same reasons, I am super excited about 2019. I can rest when I’m dead.

Thanks for reading, and we hope you have a good holiday.