Y’all y’all y’all. This month has been WILD. So let’s just dive right on in!

What did I do?

To start this month off, my aunt and her two daughters (my cousins obviously) visited us! We had a great time, doing some Christmas celebrations (we watched many Christmas movies) and then your girl attended her Christmas work party. By herself. Without an adult or parent or even a FRIEND to make her feel less awkward.

But she did it and she ended up getting good food and a $50 Walmart gift card.

Then, something amazing happened: I GOT THE FLU! It was a life-changing experience and I hope to get the chance to do this every year. But after a couple days I had fully recovered and was able to return to work and society like a relatively normal human.

That’s when a real amazing thing happened: I got a CAR. It’s a cute lil white Kia Rio and I couldn’t be happier. It’s got Bluetooth and that’s basically all I need in life.

So that was an amazing early Christmas present (even though I’m paying for half of it….but being able to drive myself anywhere at anytime is a Christmas present to me!)

Speaking of Christmas….Merry Christmas everybody!! Our Christmas was really good and we went to a Christmas Eve service with some of my other cousins at a church we’ve been trying out recently. It was great and I really enjoyed it! So we spent Christmas Eve with our cousins and then the next day with just my family and then hung out with my cousins the next day at their house.

Now, I’m not going to be that person who does the whole ‘Christmas haul of 2025!!!” vlog with pink bubble letters. However, I did want to share something special that I got.

Both my brother Boone and I each got a Savanna Bananas jersey signed by some of the team. Me and my brother really enjoy their videos and our family wants to go to one of their games someday, so my dad pulled some strings and asked a family friend (who works for the Bananas) to get the jerseys signed. It was a great surprise because I hadn’t asked for it too, so that made me super happy!

And here is the collage from this month.

What did I read?

Okay, so this month I read this AMAZING book—ladies, I highly recommend it. If you’re a dude, I guess you could read it, but I can’t guarantee you’ll like it…

It’s called Single Shouldn’t Suck by Esther Marie and as a single pringle I know that sometimes being single feels like it sucks, especially when all your peers have relationships. Esther (who had never gone on a ‘real date’ by the time she was twenty-two) talks about what it means to be single in a way that glorifies God and prepares you for your future partner, even when it feels like you will never get married. (Spoiler: she got married a couple years after she wrote that book.)

This book was very encouraging and I know I’ll be reading and rereading it as I enter my adulthood (eek, that’s next year! Scary…).

I also started Bird by Bird by Anne Lamont which is a book that has (according to the cover) ‘some instructions on writing and life.’ So far (I’m in like, chapter two) I’m really enjoying it and both my parents loved this book, so it must be good!

I’m still inching my way through C.S. Lewis’s Mere Christianity and I’m trying to find good books like his, John Mark Comer’s books, and other theologians to read so that I can widen my knowledge on all that good Bible stuff.

What did I listen to?

Okay, if you are a music listener then you know what December means….

Spotify wrapped stats are in! Here’s my overall stats:

And as for the more deep stuff:

1. I listened to 180 genres
2. My listening age was 20 years old—I listen to mostly new music and my taste is ‘trending’
3. I listened to 1,965 songs and 826 artists this year
4. My top album was was The Search by NF and I listened for 963 minutes
5. I listened to 2,042 minutes of Connor Price

I’d say it was a pretty good year—but now for my personal list from December!

1. Willow by Ryan Price—what can I say? It’s my name and a country song, pretty much perfection
2. Restless Mind album by Sam Barber
3. hate to be lame by Lizzy McAlpine and FINNEAS
4. It Only Cost Everything by Victor Ray
5. her by JVKE (the Annika Wells & Kaden Hawke version, the John Michael Howell version, the Forrest Frank Christmas version, and the ZVC version)
6. I Stay I Leave I Love I Lose by Jessie Murph
7. (Ghost) Riders In The Sky by Johnny Cash
8. Someday At Christmas by Stevie Wonder
9. this is what christmas feels like album by JVKE and Forrest Frank
10. Love Made A Way by Maverick City Music and Dante Bowe

All these songs have been on repeat this month, especially Sam Barber in general (I’m looking at his concert tickets…) and Max McNown (who is not on this list, but that’s just because all his music is too good for me to choose).

What did I write?

Whoo, that’s a good question…

This month I have been writing a lot more in my WIP, When I Said Goodbye. (If you subscribe to The Faithful Wanderer Newsletter, then this month on January 1st you will receive the first snippet and access to the WIP playlist for it! But only if you subscribe!)

Speaking of which, I finished up my second email for my monthly newsletter and while I’m still figuring out this whole newsletter business, I’m really enjoying it!

And speaking of monthly stuff, on Thursday I will be publishing a 2025 reflection and 2026 goals post which I’ll be honest—I’m really excited for. It has stats comparing 2024 to 2025, it has a recap of what I did this year in my life, with my faith, and with my writing, and then it has my goals (for faith, life, school, and writing) for 2026! I’ll have a fun activity sheet too, so if you want to know more, then be sure to check in on Thursday.

And then I also re-launched my Substack! I don’t post super frequently, but when I have random (hopefully) deep thoughts, I make notes or republish posts from The Faithful Wanderer on there as well.

But I will tell you this: there is and will be content on there that you will not get on here! So if you want to subscribe, go right ahead. And if you don’t…that’s fine too.

What happens next?

Well, New Year is…in two days. Crazy, right?! My mind is so overwhelmed with ‘2016 was a decade ago but it feels like it was four years ago but that means that COVID was six years ago and six years ago I was eleven and how is that possible?!”

I’m not sure what’s going on—I don’t like how time is flying by so quickly!

But anyways—for the new year I have some goals, but you’ll have to read my post that comes out on Saturday to read more about those specifically.

But in January, I will start some school classes (like the Young Writers Honors Academy) back up and then continue work. I don’t have any plans for January, but January does mean I get to sign up for my town’s Night to Shine which takes place in February and I couldn’t be more excited. When I did it last year, I loved it and I’m super stoked to get all fancy and have fun with strangers.

Aside from that (which obviously doesn’t happen in January) I don’t have much going on next month. So we’ll see what happens!

I’d love to hear about y’all’s Christmas! What did you do? What was your favorite gift, memory, or thing that you did? Let me know in the comments!

Thanks so much for reading, and I can’t wait to see you all on the other side in 2026!!
~Willow