Part 3 - The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come.

It is a night after Christmas, and all through the house not a creature is stirring. Well except for me, sleepless once more, bolt upright in bed, my body warm from the heat of the electric blanket - a gift from a Christmas past.  I scribble another line, and in sheer frustration, I delete it again. So far my page is empty and my hands are cold - the price they pay as I search for the inspiration for this post.

New Year’s Day is now passed. The buzz of Christmas is fading and tonight, as I sit here, my thoughts turn towards the days and months to follow. I find that I am feeling a mixture of excitement, anticipation and trepidation. The coming year feels like an enigma, it is like my blank page, just waiting for the scratch of a pen. It reminds me of the fourth ghost in a Christmas Carol - The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. It is silent, unreadable, and brings the unknown. Just like that ghost, the year ahead holds both promise and uncertainty.

Thankfully, unlike the ghost, the future isn’t all shadow. Some of it is already mapped out, plans have been made and dates are in the diary. There are weddings to look forward to, trips to take, the usual birthdays and milestones to mark and each of these begin to shape the year ahead.

For example, Nichola will turn 40 this year and this will undoubtedly be marked with a loud and joyful celebration. Martin will quietly do his own thing, his love of all things aviation will continue to take him on adventures unknown.  Jane will become a mother! She and Kieron are expecting their first child in June, and this new beginning fills me with both hope and happiness. My Dad will turn 80 in the very same month that his second great-grandchild is born, and I know how lucky I will be to share that time with him. For me, there is a trip to Malta in February, planned music and theatre events, and the simple joy of meeting up with extended family again.

These moments make up the bones of the year. They are the parts we can already see taking shape. They are comforting, familiar, and grounding. The rest of the year, though, will reveal itself in its own time. With a bit of luck, there will be journeys still to decide on, along with friendships and adventures that have yet to reveal themselves. These unknowns are the parts that can’t be planned or controlled, and they are often the ones that surprise us the most.

Of course, it is also true that for some of us the year ahead may be unsettling rather than exciting. For some, it has arrived carrying grief, uncertainty or the anticipation of hard months to come. Even the most carefully planned years can be interrupted by loss or disappointment, and there are times when simply living one day at a time is achievement enough. Sadly, the blank page does not promise an easy story - just an unfolding one. 

So as the words begin to flow from my pen and the ink bleeds blue onto the paper, I wish you a Happy New Year Reader. I hope that 2026 is sprinkled with love and laughter, that hard times are few and that this year brings you and your families all that you need.