Christmas 2025

 

Christmas 2025

Dear Family and Friends,

You might recall I ended last year’s letter with a bit of a cliffhanger, noting that I was "semi-retired." To be honest, that was just a polite way of saying that after 14 years, my previous employer decided they still needed my knowledge, they just didn’t want to pay my full salary. They cut my pay in half and converted me to part-time.

Well, that arrangement didn't last long.

In January, I was in New York City on a final trip for Operative when I received a call from the personnel department at GroupM Nexus. I accepted their offer and turned in my resignation the moment I returned to Denver. Considering they had already relegated me to "part-time" status, I figured a standard two-week notice was more than sufficient! It was satisfying to watch the sun rise on W 45th Street in Manhattan one last time, knowing the sun was setting on that chapter of my career.

I decided to treat myself to a couple weeks off in February to decompress. It was a rare luxury to just hang out at home, and tackle some projects around the house before starting the new gig. By March 3rd, I was back in the saddle full-time as the Associate Director of Workflow and Automation for GroupM Nexus. The job description is basically "professional efficiency expert"—I spend my days figuring out how to tweak our systems so the team can work smarter, not harder.

Of course, April in Colorado threw its usual tantrums. One day we woke up to a heavy blanket of spring snow covering the bird feeders, and just ten days later, the snow was gone, the grass was green, and we had a mallard duck stopping by the yard for a morning visit.

By June, we were ready for some travel. Tim and I flew down to Fort Lauderdale and Miami to join a massive family gathering to celebrate a cluster of birthdays. Since Tim had never been to the main Everglades National Park, we took a day to head down into the Glades. We did the classic tram loop at Shark Valley, and later, joined my niece Sarah for an airboat tour.

Now, I grew up on the doorstep of the Everglades and have been on hundreds of Swamp Buggy tours, but as I sat there, it hit me: I had never actually been on an airboat before. How is that even possible? It was a fantastic trip, from the "River of Grass" to the lighthouses on the coast.

Back in Colorado, we escaped the July heat by hiking in Genesee Mountain Park, barely making it back to the car before the afternoon thunderstorms rolled in. August was a "heads-down" month at work as my agency rebranded to WPP Media, and I focused on keeping workflows smooth during the transition.

In September, I traveled back to Memphis to attend a memorial service for a dear friend and mentor, Helen Coop. It has been over twenty years since I was last properly in Memphis. While the city has changed so much I barely recognized parts of it, it was wonderful to reconnect with old friends and colleagues.

October was the busiest travel month. Tim and I pointed the car toward the Black Hills and the Badlands for our annual "leaf-peeping" trip. The drive up was lovely, but the weather had other ideas. It rained or snowed almost the entire time we were in the Badlands. After looking at the forecast for day two—which promised to be just as miserable—we squeezed in a visit to Devil's Tower and headed home a day early. We definitely made the right call!

I then headed to Minnesota for the annual Korkowski Cousins' Lunch in Urbank. It is always worth the trip to see the extended family, stop by the old homestead, and visit Vining to admire the... shall we say, quirky... statuary. However, the timing meant I was heartbroken to miss the funeral of my dear friends, Colonel and Mrs. Karrer, at Arlington National Cemetery, as the service occurred while I was traveling.

November brought "Friends Thanksgiving," which I hosted this year—complete with turkey, all the trimmings, and a great day of gaming with friends.

Now that it is December, I am discovering a perk of this new agency life. Coming from decades in broadcasting—where the signal never stops—it is a shock to the system to discover that WPP Media actually closes for the last seven business days of the year. A paid company closure? What a concept!

I am looking forward to a truly quiet, peaceful end to a busy, transitional year. As the song says:

"No matter how far away you roam, if you want to be happy in a million ways, for the holidays you can't beat home sweet home."

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!