The years seem to only go by faster. December, in particular, is always a hectic month with social commitments. There never seems to be enough time. Then, all of a sudden, everything stops. Billions of people around the world slow down and unplug for the holidays. I'm the kind of person who is allergic to free time. I always want to be doing and accomplishing something, and that has consequences every now and then where I run out of steam. So Christmas is a good time for me in multiple ways.
It's been an eventful year. I left Slate to focus 100% on Globizen. Bianca and I got married in the summer, and then travelled around the mediterranean for a few weeks in August. One Delisle progressed substantially (we poured the level 10 slab right before the holidays). Project Bench received its zoning approvals. We completed Parkview Mountain House in Park City (bookings are now open). And we also laid the groundwork for a bunch of new projects and real estate strategies that I'm really excited about for 2025.
But until then, I'm going to enjoy celebrating Christmas and the holiday season. I'm highly suspect of any religion created by people (I guess that's all of them), but I do love celebrating Christmas and I do appreciate my upbringing more and more the older I get. Bianca and I went to church when we were in Mallorca in the summer and, even though we understood exactly 0% of the mass and it was a sauna inside the cathedral, we both enjoyed it. Later today, I'll be going to church with my mom.
I don't love the shopping part of Christmas -- it can be stressful. A simpler Christmas is probably better. I come back to something that Justin Welsh recently said about modern luxury. He defined it as the ability to "think clearly, sleep deeply, move slowly, and live quietly in a world designed to prevent all four." These are likely good things to focus on at this time of year with your closest family and friends. Merry Christmas and happy holidays, everyone.
