One other thing. I now have a 16-year-old in the house. My daughter is amazing, and I thank God for every moment I've had with her.

What's the last movie or TV show you watched in 2025? It's tradition!

Once again, Dietrich Bonhoeffer's New Year's song, written from a Nazi prison, finding hope still. "will das alte unsre Herzen quälen, noch drückt uns böser Tage schwere Last. Ach Herr, gib unsern aufgeschreckten Seelen das Heil, für das du uns geschaffen hast." youtu.be/Spr-LwA0CxI?...

"Ich mag die ganzen Böller nicht und mir tut's die Tieren ganz leid." Some political commentary from my eleven-year-old.

It appears, thank God, the rest of us made in unscathed. Slowly letting down our internal defenses.

May "Festivity and revelry replace fear and freezing," as we celebrate 75 years since the publishing of "The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe." www.plough.com/en/topics/cu...

France gets George Clooney, but Germany, once the paperwork is processed, can get me!

I love Sandra McCracken's "Zwischen die Jahren" song: "December ends Make way for dreams Wait for the light To raise the spring Embrace it all From hope to doubt Like ocean waves Washin' in and out ... youtu.be/AOwI8QuDa8w?...

A nice dusting of snow outside.

A lawyer in tutor England who ends up solving murders for his powerful benefactors.

"The lower our opinions of ourselves, the more insecure we’re feeling, the higher our opinions of narcissists. Supporting them makes us feel special (and makes them feel less threatened)."

My daughter just read the word "encyclopedia" for the first time. It was fun explaining to her what it means.

Similar word from Malcome Guite from this podcast, where he's talking about his retelling of Galahad in ballad form, and wants to make sure the Arthurian legend isn't claimed by the bigots. (Key quote in thread) omny.fm/shows/the-ha...

"Poetry comes from the right brain but, interestingly, language comes largely from the left. And that right there is a key to understanding our divided brains: ...the left and right are indissolubly linked and can’t function healthily without each other...." harpers.org/archive/2025...

Given the imagery the US Administration is using, it's worth remembering that today is the Feast of the Holy Innocents, commemorating the horrific circumstances by which Jesus became a refugee. Malcolm Guite's poem, "Refugee" is worth re-reading:

💪🐻

How I'm walking out of 2025

Welp, the Magendarm has entered the house, specifically via my daughter as we watched Stranger Things last night (no spoilers, not finished yet). Wife heroically making a barricade of disinfectant. Everyone wondering when and if the sword will drop.

Make a Bond movie casual. From the home with love.

My favorite Christmas love song - hope y'all are loving those around you, celebrating the "scary, scary beauty of what's right here." youtu.be/Y7e_nUkSqPA?...

Estonia is a friend. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/25/u...

1. Feiertag, and I am feeling that I may have overindulged the gluteny Christmas cookies at my in-laws, and I may have been a teensie bit overenthusiastic in answering @lynnnothegger.bsky.social's call to support the Scottish economy last night. Nonetheless, so thankful to be here with my family...

Some words from me on “O Little Town of Bethlehem” for your Christmas reading and listening: open.substack.com/pub/karenswa...

Merry Christmas to you and yours.

Sighted outside of our house. Checkmate, deniers.

Worth reading, though depressingly, the title oversells the article. Solidarity with those who need it, and (as I'd put it) a clear eyed view of the fallenness of human nature. Reminds me of the Christmas story. www.theguardian.com/world/commen...

Ben Sasse was the first person to teach me about 'memento mori' well before my cancer. He's always dealt with the reality he had versus the one he wished he had. In 'Them,' he encourages us to grapple w/ death, suggesting its the only way to live. He lives well. God bless them.

Stevie Nicks has the best voice for singing "Silent Night." Straddling two languages, I usually prefer the original in whatever I'm reading or singing, but here, I think the English translation is better. "Son of God, love's pure light." youtu.be/ZZPyphUNO6k?...

C‘mon Germany. We can do our bit to help out here. It’s a sacrifice, sure, but a noble one.

In Zaragoza, Spain, the sculpture La Mujer Que Nunca Hizo Nada (The Woman Who Never Did Anything) pays tribute to the often overlooked, unpaid work of women at home that keeps families & societies functioning. Xmas is one of their busiest times #GoodMorning, everyone Art: José Luis Fernández (2001)

Next year's Advent Candles bought at a steep discount. My Swabian wife is undefeated. (also pictured a Target shopping bag from the last trip to the States. Waste not.)

surprised at the lack of fidelity to the source material. no mr whittaker, no connie, no eugene. very strange, but i trust nolan's vision.

My daughter: "When I'm your age, I'm going to read this to my grandchildren." ...um...

Trump admin. has dropped its plan to deport heroic Chinese dissident Guan Heng - likely because of massive public outcry. We must similarly press for reversal of Trump's many other cruel efforts to deport dissidents and victims of persecution back to their oppressors: reason.com/volokh/2025/...

Thought about "Wake Up a Dead Man" while reading this @thedispatchmedia.bsky.social essay. Good contrast in different views of strength: thedispatch.com/article/men-...

Yes, please.

Typografie ist wichtig!

On the shortest day of the year, we got to see the sun. "Ich lag in tiefster Todesnacht, du warest meine Sonne, die Sonne, die mir zugebracht Licht, Leben, Freud und Wonne. O Sonne, die das werte Licht des Glaubens in mir zugericht’, wie schön sind deine Strahlen!"

Can confirm that "Wake Up a Dead Man" is the best "Knives Out" so far.

It’s the “season of love and giving”…but this year, doesn’t it seem more like a “season of fear and taking”? Like many of you, I’ve been saddened by the human impact of draconian government budget cuts and how angry many housed Americans are at unhoused Americans. 🧵 1 of 9

Happy 4. Advent, everybody! youtu.be/5lwtbnU-1Tw?...

The fact that DJ caught the game winner over Keisean Nixon, the same guy who did this earlier in the game 🤌

In defiance of the longest night, my wife's red amaryllis blooms.

Superman wears Caleb Williams pyjamas.

Christmas lights against seasonal depression.

"(Deneen) misrepresents liberalism’s fundamental principles; he presents a warped history of liberalism that dismisses its achievements and exaggerates its weaknesses; and he offers nothing in place of the liberal-democratic framework he wants to destroy." open.substack.com/pub/theunpop...

In our worldwide search for Brainiac in Man of Tomorrow, Lars Eidinger rose to the top. Welcome to the DCU, Lars.