Share 4 Somethings – December Reflections 2024
As December wraps up, I’m reflecting on a few highlights and lessons from the past month. From a favorite gift and holiday traditions to practical goals and a reading plan, here’s my “Share 4 Somethings” to close out the year. I’m linking with Jennifer:
- Something loved and/or disliked
- Something accomplished
- Something improved upon and/or that needs improvement
- Something noticed
I’m also sharing my previous month’s One Second Everyday video . . .
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Something Loved
- A NEW PUZZLE BOARD
One of my favorite Christmas gifts I received this year is this fantastic puzzle board. Since I love doing jigsaw puzzles, my daughter Jenna picked it out for me.
It is a sturdy board with a wood rim, has four insertable drawers to organize extra pieces, and comes with a cover mat for easy storage or moving.
I started a new puzzle this week, and so far, I’m loving it.
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Something Accomplished
- SURVIVING CHRISTMAS
I made it through Christmas. It’s become a bittersweet holiday the past few years; while it holds much joy, it also contains much sorrow because I can’t spend time with everyone I want to.
This year we added in some fun new experiences along with some treasured traditions.
The new: We took our grandson for a ride on the Santa Train and watched him perform in his first Mother’s Mother Out Christmas program. We also loved watching Jenna dance beautifully in The Nutcracker, performing as Clara’s mom and Mother Ginger.
The traditional: We walked through the Galaxy of Lights on a very cold night at our local botanical garden, made a gingerbread house with our grandson (actually a gingerbread tree this year), and Jeff and I went to the movies on Christmas Day (it was packed!) to see a film about Bob Dylan, A Complete Unknown. It was good!
How it’s supposed to look and how it turned out
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Something that Needs Improvement
- GETTING MY AFFAIRS IN ORDER
Since my uncle died in November, my siblings and I have been busy handling his affairs. Thankfully, he did a thorough job in preparing, which has made the process easier than it might have been. Even so, it’s a lot to manage.
This experience has reminded me (yet again) that I need to do more planning for my own end-of-life details. And sooner is always better than too late.
I’m setting a goal for 2025 to tackle this project. If you’ve been procrastinating on this too, maybe we can encourage each other to get it done this year!
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Something Noticed
- AN INTENTIONAL BOOK CHOICE
Not only do I love reading, I also love looking back on what I’ve read through the year. Here are my 9 favorite nonfiction books I read in 2024, and here are my 7 favorite novels. I also appreciate that Goodreads does a year-end synopsis of the books I’ve logged with them.
But I also like looking ahead to what I’ll read next. This year I’m being more intentional about the first book I’ll start in 2025. At Book Journey, Sheila encourages readers to share a photo with their first pick. I sent her my picture with Tranquility by Tuesday: 9 Ways to Calm the Chaos and Make Time for What Matters by Laura Vanderkam.
It’s been on my list since it came out in October 2022, but I never picked up a copy. (I also love these two books by Laura: 168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think published in 2010, and Off the Clock: Feel Less Busy While Getting More Done published in 2014.)
I’m excited to finally dive into Tranquility by Tuesday next Wednesday—it seems like a perfect book to kick off the new year with calm and focus. Do you know the first book you want to read in 2025?
What is something you are loving, accomplishing, improving, or noticing this month?
Share your thoughts in the comments.
I’m linking at these blog parties
That puzzle board is great! Your new traditions sound like a lot of fun.
That puzzle board is certainly a beautiful and thoughtful gift for you, Lisa. And that grandson of yours has absolutely stolen my heart – what a cutie! Yes, I do know the first book I’ll be reading in the New Year: Brookhaven by fellow blogger and published author, Glynn Young. As much as you love to read, I would check him out on Amazon. Glynn has also written five books in his “Dancing Priest” series. Definitely winners!
Blessings for a wonderful New Year!
What a full month! I imagine your grandson loved the train. And the gingerbread tree! My son and d-i-l brought over gingerbread house kits, but we haven’t gotten into them yet.
We finally got our end-of-life planning done a couple of years ago.
I’m not sure what book I’ll read first in January. I’m finishing up Winter Fire: Christmas with G. K. Chesterton by Ryan Whitaker Smith and loving it. I’m a little behind in the daily readings, so I’ll likely run into next month with it.
Hi, Lisa – Thank you for sharing these somethings with us. Your new puzzle board looks great and I am sure it will get much use.
I totally understand your sadness of not being able to spend your holidays with everyone that you want to. Totally relatable.
Wishing you a very happy and healthy 2025 ahead!
Your grandson is really growing, Lisa. It looks like he enjoyed the train ride. Or maybe it’s just that he enjoys being with Grandpa and Grandma. 🙂 My heart aches for you that you can’t spend time with others you love and care for. May God give you strength for each day and each moment!
One of my granddaughters has a puzzle board like that. It’s very handy. As for the first book I’ll be reading, I’m not sure. Love and hugs and unexpected blessings for 2025!
Hi Lisa, The Christmas tree baking looks great and although we ‘survive’ Christmas I do love all of the hustle and bustle that it brings. A good reminder to look at our estate planning as well. We seem to put it off but it really is important to get one’s affairs in order. Thanks so much for sharing with us at #WBOYC? and I look forward to you joining us in 2025. Happy New Year to you and your family. Sue L xx
What a fun read. Getting our affairs in order over here too. We actually met with our funeral director to plan services and make arrangements. Have to a follow up meeting yet but taking care of those details will be nice for the kids not to have to worry about and something we know will be taken care of. What surprised us most was how our wishes had changed over the years. Interesting process and much discussion too.
I love the puzzle board and am glad to hear your review. That is something I want to purchase. We met with a lawyer and are in the process of updating wills and setting up a trust. I loathe this sort of paperwork but it needs to be done. I want to take care of what I can. The Santa train looks like fun. Next year will be an ‘in-law year’ on Christmas Day so hubs and I are talking about making a weekend in December our Christmas with all the grands and doing the Polar Express. I think it could be a fun way to celebrate. Happy new year!
Love this, and love YOU! xo
what lovely traditions – new and familiar alike! My husband recently got a very similar puzzle board and he’s been recommending it to all our puzzle-loving friends. Glad you like yours too. I am still in the middle of a couple of books, so I don’t know what new book I’ll tackle first, but I’m hoping to get through a few more this year than last. Visiting from SFS today – Happy New Year!
We’re also in the throes of settling an estate and making all kinds of promises to ourselves about getting organized and throwing things away!
I’m adding Laura’s book titles to my TBR list, Lisa! I’m reading Ed Cyzewski’s Pray. Write. Grow: Cultivating Prayer and Writing Together. And I’m listening to The Listening Life by Adam McHugh. I’m thoroughly enjoying both books!
Thank you for the prodding, Lisa. We’ve taken care of a number end-of-life legal matters, financial matters, and more. But there’s still more paring down to accomplish. It’s so hard to know what the granddaughters (16, almost 12, and 8) might like to have one day. Tastes change so as years pass. On the other hand, I don’t want to burden our kids with the disposal of superfluous belongings!
The puzzle board is awesome. I am on a cleaning out spree-trying to declutter stuff we never use, get rid of books I will never read again, etc. Happy New Year! https://encounterswiththedavisfamily.blogspot.com/2025/01/december-2024-share-four-somethings.html