My word for 2026 & other new year reflections
This essay appeared in the Monday morning newsletter on 12/29/25. Subscribe here!
Good morning! I hope you had a very Merry Christmas and a restful holiday week.
Last week, I was reading Jenny Bayliss’ The Twelve Dates of Christmas last week and was struck by this quote: “Of all the holidays, Christmas was the one that replenished her soul and made her feel most hopeful.”
I love that sentiment. I hope something over the past week replenished your soul and made you feel hopeful.
And if not – don’t fear. This week might be just what you need.
This quiet, post-Christmas, pre-New Year’s week also replenishes my soul and makes me feel hopeful. During these in-between days, I always feel reflective thinking about the year that’s ending, and energized as I imagine the year ahead.
If you’re feeling similarly but aren’t quite sure how to direct that reflective energy, might I suggest a few exercises I love during this time of year? Read through the ideas below (including a brief reflection on 2025 + my word for 2026!) and see what resonates. The goal isn’t to do them all. Instead, pick one or two and make it fun! Turn the activity into a phone call with a friend, make cocktails at home and swap answers with a family member or make an afternoon of it – take yourself to a cozy coffee shop, order something delicious and set yourself up with a notebook and the “good pens.”
Ideas for looking back on the year that’s ending
Pick one highlight from each month.
This is a very easy, low-stakes way to reflect, and an idea I initially got from Matt on one of our “year in review” dates. Go month by month and choose just one highlight. Scroll through your photos to jog your memory or ask a friend to help you remember. Even choosing one moment per month can be surprisingly powerful – a reminder of just how much can happen in a year.
Answer a few reflective questions about 2025.
I really like the set of questions from this blog post (also below) for reflecting on the past year. Answer them on your own or swap answers with a loved one:
- Who helped, inspired, or guided you this year?
- What was hard?
- What brought you joy?
- What did you learn?
Write an email to your future self.
I love the idea of capturing thoughts and feelings in a specific moment in time. This year, I want to write an email to myself about what feels great right now – and what feels hard – and schedule it to arrive in my inbox at the end of 2026. I imagine next year it’ll be meaningful (and probably a little emotional) to read what past-me was thinking during a similar reflective season.
For looking ahead to 2026
Make a 26-in-26 list.
For many years (2020, 2021, 2022, 2023), I loved creating annual “bucket lists.” I originally got the idea from author Gretchen Rubin. The idea is to make a list of things – big and small, easy and challenging – you want to do in the new year. As Gretchen writes, “Somehow, this approach makes it more pleasant to think about what we want for the new year – it feels more hopeful and helpful.”
Use ChatGPT as a brainstorming partner.
This is an idea I got from my mom when we were swapping approaches to New Year’s planning and goal setting. If staring at a blank page feels overwhelming, consider using ChatGPT (or another AI tool of your choice) to help you get started. You can prompt it with details about your season of life, your energy level or the kind of year you’re craving, and ask it to generate ideas you can then refine and make your own. My mom loved that it gave concrete next steps that helped her take the plan from an idea to something she could act on. Sometimes a little structure is all it takes to get started.
Choose a word for the year.
Another tradition I love is selecting a one-word theme or intention for the year ahead. I don’t think of this word as a goal or a resolution, but more as a gentle lens. Something that helps guide decisions, set priorities and bring me back to what matters when things feel busy or overwhelming. I usually choose a word by asking myself what I want more of, or what kind of reminder would feel most supportive for the season of life I’m.
This year, my word was SAVOR. With so many big changes on the horizon, it was a reminder to slow down and take it all in. And it really did serve me! I found myself thinking “savor this!” multiple times during 2025.
Thinking back on my 2025 and looking ahead to 2026
2025 was a year of BIG, BIGGER, and BIGGEST still.
We hit the ground running with Matt and I tying the knot on January 3 and didn’t slow down for a beat. In February, we excitedly found out we were pregnant. In March, we put an offer in on a house. By May, we had packed up our beloved apartment and moved across state lines to Indianapolis. June and July were spent unpacking, nesting and settling into new routines. Then August and September brought some unexpected pregnancy complications, which meant our baby boy would be making his debut three weeks early… on October 1! The day our lives changed forever. The rest of the year sped by in a blur, set against a festive backdrop, as we learned how to care for a newborn and leaned heavily on our amazing parents.
I honestly get a bit of whiplash when I think about everything that happened in just one calendar year. But I also feel deeply grateful. In such a short amount of time, so many pieces fell into place, and I’m really happy to find myself where I am right now.
As I look ahead to 2026 though, I wouldn’t mind a little less change. I know there will still be moments of transition, but I’m looking forward to a year of catching my breath and continuing to find our new normal. As mundane as that might sound, it feels genuinely exciting to me.
So, with that, I’ve decided my word for 2026 is… LITTLE!
After a year defined by big moments and big changes, I want to focus on the little things: settling into new routines, paying attention to the everyday actions that quietly add up and soaking up just how little Ben is right now and will be all year.
This week, I’m excited to think about how the word little will show up in my goals for the year ahead – and I’m looking forward to sharing them next week.
As the year comes to a close, I also want to thank YOU for being here and for reading this newsletter – especially during a year when I had to take more breaks from writing than usual. This newsletter is such a source of joy and fulfillment for me, and I love the connections it creates. I’m so grateful to have found a way to channel my love for writing, goal setting, small joys – and of course – Mondays, and I’m excited to keep writing (hopefully a bit more consistently!) next year.
Until then, I hope this in-between week gives you a few quiet moments to rest, reflect and ease into 2026.
Picture of the Week
