A summary of the December posts from the MORE TO COME newsletter.
The poet Friedrich Schlegel once famously noted that “the historian is a prophet facing backwards.” I claim no prophetic role, but I do tend to look at events in the world through the lens of history. Increasingly I work to draw inspiration from the critic Walter Benjamin’s vision of the true purpose of history: “to sort through the rubble of earlier eras in order to recover those buried shards of unrealized hope, to reclaim them, to redeem them.”
Today we say goodbye to a year that has been tumultuous, disruptive, violent, fearful; and we also say goodbye to a year that has been beautiful, enriching, wonder-filled, joyful. As Philip Roth once put it, “Life is and.” Good friends die. Children are born. Careers are crashed at the door of greed and new pathways with unexpected possibilities are opened. Things we once thought were essential fade away. New ways of perceiving the world spring to life.
All truth is a paradox. Life is a beautiful gift. At the same time it can be impossibly difficult. History tells us the next year will be both filled with uncertainty and opportunity. It will certainly be filled with loss and life.
The antidote to the loss of life is more life, embracing our time here on earth to the fullest. Recovering those shards of unrealized hope. Reclaiming them. Redeeming them. Heading into a new year we do best to follow E.B. White’s advice: “Hang onto your hat. Hang onto your hope. And wind the clock, for tomorrow is another day.”
Let’s jump in and see what tickled my fancy in the last days of 2025.
READER FAVORITES
With our 20th MTC “author interview” in November we passed a milestone. This month we brought the next installment in the series to life (pun intended). Author Amy-Jill Levine—who is smart, witty, and generous—answered my questions about her newest book in Nativity stories that provoke, encourage, and perhaps even inspire. AJ is always a reader favorite. This month our conversation about the stories in Hebrew scripture that foreshadow the familiar nativity stories of Advent and Christmas topped the list of most-read posts as selected by our Brilliant Readers.
HISTORY, HOPE, MEMORY, PLACE
Historians and other smart commentators have suggested that recent events feel like the final, chaotic days of a political era. We’re not there yet, so we work to keep a spotlight on what’s going on, what we’ve lost, and what we can do to restore our democracy and civic spirit.
- The philosopher Eric Hoffer famously said “rudeness is the weak man’s imitation of strength.” It may feel we’re being held hostage by six-year-old schoolyard bullies and that we don’t have much agency. But we have the power, the responsibility, the strength to push back, as I write in The road less taken.
- On December 7th I always like to return to Pearl Harbor and the ongoing fight against fascism. Pearl Harbor remains both a place and a response that is fused in our collective national memories. Yes, memory is essential to hope. The memories at Pearl Harbor are a reminder of a national response when the nation and all its people became much more important than the tribe and political party.
- Author Syd Stapleton’s latest novel packs a lot of truth into his tale of greed, corruption, and the ongoing degradation of the only earth we have.
- Follow the money—the saga of one of sports most-traveled and most-reviled figures—speaks volumes about what is totally screwed up in today’s sports world. And in our country at large.
PASSAGES
How is it to live with eternity at your door? is my appreciation for the life of Henry Farrington. Henry was diagnosed in 2015 with ALS, given 3-5 years to live, and just passed away in early November of this year. “People who know death is near,” said one of my mentors at the service honoring and celebrating Henry’s life, “are dealing with the loss of everyone they hold dear. Not one but everyone. Dying is itself an experience of grief writ large. Yet the antidote to the loss of life is more life.”
“BEST-OF” LISTS AND OTHER SUCH THINGS
December is the traditional month for lists that look backwards. Here are three of mine.
- Readers choice: The best of the 2025 MTC newsletter presents the top MTC posts for the year, based on reader views.
- The year in books: 2025 is my annual listing of all the books I read. While it is a long piece, I encourage you to scan these short snippets and see what may pique your interest.
- In recent years I’ve considered What our books reveal about us by looking for patterns in the books I read over the past 12 months. I was surprised to see how much fiction is now a part of my life. I’ve also accepted the fact that although I’m a planner by inclination and training (Masters in urban planning from Georgia Tech), that skill doesn’t carry over to my reading choices. And I’m okay with that.
AND STILL MORE BOOKS
- Appreciate our blessings; understand our responsibilities came after reading Thomas Paine’s Common Sense, the most influential polemic in all of American history, and re-reading an excellent biography of Paine. Towards the end of the month, I was pleased to see a thoughtful essay in the New York Times Sunday Book Review section on the pamphlet that has roused Americans to action for 250 years.
- Dark secrets looked at the first of Ruth Rendell’s famous Inspector Wexford mysteries.
- And, of course, I always summarize the books read and reviewed from the previous month: From the bookshelf: November 2025.
CELEBRATING THE SEASON + COMMENTS I LOVED
Happy Christmas to you and yours is my traditional Christmas Day post, with this year’s focus on the wonder and meaning of the season. I also included three Saturday Soundtrack posts in December, including:
- Music to soothe the soul—Guitar pieces of beauty, serenity, and tranquility.
- The Turning Year—I wish you the power to know just what to keep and what let go.
- After listening to the post Celebrating the female voice and the Christmas season, Brilliant Reader Margit wrote:
“I feel so fortunate that I have found someone who loves books and music as much as I do, perhaps more than I do. We are a “venn diagram” of our likes—they overlap, but perhaps I can introduce you to new things, and certainly you have exposed me to many new writers and music.”
The back-and-forth of introducing and learning about new writers and music with readers keeps me going.
A family friend wrote the following note to Candice after one performance of Messiah at the Washington National Cathedral in early December. I added it to the Fall 2025 post:
“What an absolute joy it was to be in the audience for last night’s Messiah. Not only the joy of hearing beloved music performed at the highest level, but to see a young man I’ve known for years transformed into a powerful artist. It was thrilling; if I felt that way, you must walking on air.”
We were. Andrew’s performances singing the tenor solos in this beloved piece were masterful. We were proud of course, and thankful, knowing of all the years of hard work by Andrew to build on his talent that went into that weekend’s performance.
DON’T POSTPONE JOY
Thanks, as always, for reading. Your friendship, support and feedback mean more than I can ever express.
As you travel life’s highways be open to love; thirst for wonder; undertake some mindful, transformative walking every day. Recognize the incredible privilege that most of us have and think about how to put that privilege to use for good. Women, people of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, immigrants, public servants, and others can feel especially vulnerable . . . because they are. Work hard for justice and democracy as the fight never ends.
But also keep some room in your heart for the unimaginable. Take time to dawdle and dream. Leave enough empty space to feel and experience life. Those gaps are where the magic begins. When times get rough, let your memories wander back to some wonderful place with remembrances of family and friends. But don’t be too hard on yourself if a few of the facts slip. Just get the poetry right.
Remember that “we are here to keep watch, not to keep.” Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it. And bash into some joy along the way.
Life is finite . . . love is not.
Try to be nice. Always be kind.
More to come . . .
DJB
For the November 2025 summary, click here.
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Photo by Christian Lambert on Unsplash
MORE TO COME... 