Well, Christmas is finally upon us, and I daresay it snuck up on my faster than I'd anticipated. The year has been a good one, and I feel I've been productive, both in work and on this blog. Once again I found myself not working quite as much as I'd like on Open Source projects, but there were a few patches I got in, and quite a few projects I'm following closely enough to help with. Even in the current economic situation, I'm still pretty confident that my current employment will remain, though I am constantly looking for other opportunities to present themselves.

My wife and I came up to Spokane yesterday, to spend some time with both our families, though mine will be a little smaller in number this year due to the weather impeding travel. Spokane is already over two dozen inches of snow in the last week or so, and we've got little reason to expect it to lighten up before the new year. Still, it will be great to spend time with those people we do have time to meet. It's a little strange, being married to someone who's parents live in the same town as my own, as we end up with no choice but having two Christmases. It's not unpleasant, it's just a strange change from the days when that simply wasn't an issue.

This has been a good year, one with many changes in my own life, which I've generally shared, at least in passing, with those of you who read this blog. I want to thank those of you who read, because while I do this primarily for myself, having an audience is far more satisfying. Admittedly, it's a small audience today, but it's been growing, and it's fun to watch that growth. I do plan to continue writing, targeting my current pace of about four posts a week, as that's been working well for me.

Aside from that, the new year won't result in any immediate changes in my life. I've got some ideas of projects I'd like to work on, and things I'd like to do, but I'm in the position where any changes I can forsee in my life will be the direct result of me taking action. Things are stable, and today, that feels pretty good. I wish you all the best in the new year, especially those who have been unlucky enough to lose their jobs in the last few months. Things may seem difficult, but things will get better, they generally do.

Merry Christmas Everyone.