It’s Christmas again. Here we have almost everything one would expect of a “traditional Christmas” — snow, gatherings, foods, wines, Christmas songs, gifts under the Christmas tree, etc. I can’t be bothered to mention Santa because we don’t really have a fireplace in this house. Despite that, some elements even got an “upgrade.” Instead of snow flurries, for example, many people are travelling against a province-wide blizzard warning. We chose to stay in because none of us would love to get stuck on 401 or at YYZ for eight or more hours straight.

This Christmas I’ve also done something meaningful. I’ve written a bunch of thank you notes to important people that crossed my path in the past year, as well as leaving truthful, largely positive reviews on Google Maps for businesses that impressed me one way or another. (Some business owners did request me to write one immediately after our deal was done, but that’s not the only reason I felt obliged.)

For the rest of the holiday, I’m going to read, learn, and code, as if the holiday hadn’t begun or had already ended. Study computer science, they said. Be a lifelong learner, they said.

I wish everyone reading this post a merry Christmas and a joyous holiday season.