What’s Up?

Aah maaah gaaaahd it’s 2026.

I just got ready for Christmas.

Citation one: the decorations I added to the lamp by my desk, on Christmas Day at 4pm.

There’s probably a flood of best-of-the-year, wrapping-up type posts. But I do find them useful when I’m hunting for good creative inputs, so let’s go with the recommendation flow.

And please do hit reply and share any of yours!

5 things I’ve LOVED…

(…and haven’t already included in one of these letters, or in my Stash.)

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ONE: Billy Collins’ Masterclass: Reading and Writing Poetry

It was my birthday on the 22^nd, and I was gifted a subscription to Masterclass. I’ve been listening, like it’s a podcast, while I wash up, get dressed, or stretch.

The poet, Billy Collins*, was one of my favourite discoveries when I did the Ray Bradbury challenge to spend 1000 nights reading a poem, short story, and essay a night. And his masterclass was just as wonderful—clear and ringing with both beauty and deadpan humour. He even has a section on ‘Humor as a Serious Strategy’. I highly recommend it for language lovers, whether or not you’re usually into poetry. I found it grounded, accessible, and inspiring.

(*Shout out to Max for the recommendation!)

TWO: The rise of the raccoon (but dogs still have my heart)

Since my claim that raccoons are vying to be the new dogs, I have been sent a delightful stream of evidence to back my case. But rather than share that here, I want to take a moment to reassure dogs that I still aspire to their levels of greatness—their level of joy, and willingness to go after every ball, regardless of whether they ever catch them.

THREE: Neon signs

As I write this, at 3:30am in the depths of winter, this sign is keeping me company, and making the room a lot less glum. It’s not technically neon—my husband made it years ago from a sheet of silvery reclaimed metal and a string of little fairy lights. It was fun choosing the word.

I am a sucker for a sign. If it’s lit up, even better. So wind back to February, and I LOVED my trip to Gods Own Junkyard*.

Wha-bam! Look at this…

(*Thanks to Camille for the rec!)

At some point, I am definitely going to commission a neon sign.

For now, I’ve got the title of my novel mocked up as a screensaver.

Or a bright pink Seriously Ridiculous sign could be fun.

Do you know what you would fancy? What would you want glowing at you, in the dark?

FOUR: Independent cinemas

I love that there are still independent cinemas in my nearest city. The curators do a brilliant job of selecting and showing films. For example, this was a gem of a comedy-drama. No way would it have been on my radar, if they hadn’t programmed it.

So, BIG LOVE to all the people who programme awesome stuff.

FIVE: Games and made up rules (Questionable)

I love playing games, and not just at Christmas. With quite a few caveats though.

1) I don’t like reading or listening to long or complex instructions.

2) I don’t like waiting around while pieces clack around a board.

3) I don’t like arbitrary stuff, like dice rolls.

4) I’m not competitive, and don’t give a figgy pudding about scoring.

What I DO love is some kind of game that you can use as jumping off point, playing it as you see fit. A semi-improvised affair, where everyone gets to riff and play, until the air fills with goofy chatter and laughter. If it’s a little absurd, even better.

This game (Questionable) has a had a lot of outings this year. We take it in turns to read the questions, and pile in with our responses.

Any other games you’d recommend for a less than patient, rule dismissing word nerd?

Thank you for reading. High-five for 2025. And here’s wishing you an awesome 2026.

Until next time,

PS: Thanks for reading my Seriously Ridiculous letter. All feedback is welcome, as I only want to do this if it’s useful or fun for you to read. You can hit reply and it will wing its way to me.

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