A Holiday Hiatus and “Thank You!”

Sometimes we all need a break. As one of the busiest (and hopefully joyous) times of year bears down on us, take a step back and take a breath. I’m going to. . . 

Remember Winter Break?

Kids take things for granted. I mean, it’s natural, right? When you’re a kid things are granted, so we can’t begrudge them. There’s that free roof overhead, all those free meals three times a day. Free clothes, free rides, a million other little things and, hopefully, free and unconditional love from our parents. Unfortunately these things aren’t universal, but thankfully they’re the norm.

I was grateful and fortunate to receive all of these things as a child, but there is one other freebie from my youth that I really miss. . .

Free time.

I’m not talking about 10 minutes at the beginning of home room to read a book. I’m talking about free time off.

Summer vacation and spring break were awesome in their own ways, but winter break? That’s where the real magic was for me.

That was a time to focus on family, get cozy, watch it snow, and dream about presents under the tree. It was an opportunity to reflect on the year coming to an end and get excited for the one about to begin again.

I loved the constant rotation of Christmas music (oh, how far I’ve fallen), and looked forward to the day we all headed into the kitchen to make chocolate centers, the messy but delicious truffles crafted from an old family recipe. We’d roll the fudgey middles between our too-warm hands, dip them in milk chocolate and set them to dry on wax paper. The whole house would smell like a candy factory, and when finished, it was a delight to lick our chocolate-stained palms while avoiding leaving dark smudges on our noses and chins.

I’ve contemplated making these myself as an adult, but—and I suppose this is the point—there’s never enough time.

I’m an adult now. I have a full time job with a 45 minute commute on either end. I have to cook, run errands, shop for gifts, entertain the cats, bathe, and sleep. There are holiday parties to attend, distant family members to call, gifts to wrap with one hand while fending off Prince Luca’s attempts to pounce on the paper with the other. . .

Chocolate centers just don’t make the cut in my household.

Oh, and I’m a writer. That’s a whole other job itself.

I love my busy life. I wouldn’t trade it for anything, but once in a while I have to take a step back and realize there aren’t 28 hours in the day.

Recently I’ve been wishing I could have a winter break again, like I did when I was a child. And recently I realized. . . I kind of can!

A Little More Time

Of course, a break requires the cessation of certain activities for a prescribed amount of time. So, barring some great inspiration between now and then, this will be my last post until January.

It seems like the best course of action. I’m busy, you’re busy, we’re all so busy.

I’m going to take the next few weeks to focus on family and friends, and enjoy the end of the holiday season. I’ve got a stack of books that want to be read, and a temporary change in my work schedule that favors family time over writing time.

It’s a gift—one I don’t receive lightly.

For too much of the year, the obligations of basic survival keep me farther from the ones I love than I would like. Now I’m going to have a little more time—at least for a little while—and will embrace it with open arms.

Thank You, There’s More to Come. . .

But before I sign off for 2017, I wanted to say thank you! As of this writing, in 2017 I’ve had:

4491 page views from

1737 unique visitors who left

384 likes and 460 comments across

65 posts.

Oh, and you’ve visited from an amazing 55 countries!

This year—and your readership—has given my little blog a great start and a strong foundation to keep growing in 2018. There’ll be a lot more in the new year—more of the same, as well as some exciting new types of content. So don’t be a stranger.

In 2018 I’m setting a goal of increasing these numbers (though I haven’t yet decided by what percent).

And if you’d like in on the conversation, you should definitely join my email list. You’ll only get one or two emails from me a month (usually just one), but it’s the absolute best way to stay in the loop. Also, you’ll get that free short story you know you’ve been wanting to read. . .

I’m so grateful for you. I hope you have a happy and healthy conclusion to the holiday season, and I truly wish you all the best.

See you in January.

But before you go. . . One last time, tell me your thoughts! Are you taking a little more time this season for family and friends? What is your favorite holiday tradition? If you’re a fellow blogger, how has your year been? Do you have blogging goals for 2018? Let me know in the comments below.

Thanks a million for reading,

Gregory