I’m not one who really has very many favorite things. I like a lot of a lot of things, and I don’t like having to narrow something down to “the best” or “not the best.” So, when I’m asked what my favorite holiday is, I normally say something along the lines of “halloween is fun because people get to dress up; christmas is nice because everything’s decorated; thanksgiving is good for seeing people and eating a lot (and sharing a lot of vegan food)” or something like that… but I’m starting to think that I might actually have a favorite holiday, and it might be the new year.

Yeah, the timing of the new year is pretty arbitrary, and people in other places have different new year days, but the idea of a time when you can start fresh and reflect is really appealing. I like having a little down time to organize my life, to think about what went well and didn’t go as well in the previous year, and what I’d like to change in my life. I rarely keep whatever resolutions I plan (in fact, I rarely remember them past January), but the act of setting goals is really helpful. It helps me realign what I’m doing with what I want to be doing.

So, between the clean slate and reflection on where I’m standing, I’d have to say it’s a pretty good time of year.

Add that to seeing far-flung friends at ALA and the inevitable exciting news from MacWorld, and it’s just that much better.