Happy Holidays

However you celebrate this time of year, I sincerely hope it’s been kind to you.

Merry Christmas.
Happy Hanukkah.
Joyous Kwanzaa.
Happy New Year (almost).

And for those who don’t celebrate any of it, happy quiet week where email slows down and meetings mysteriously disappear. That counts too.

This stretch between Christmas and New Year’s is a strange one. Some people are surrounded by family, noise, food, and traditions. Others are dealing with silence, distance, loss, or just a heavy feeling they can’t quite name.

If that’s you, you’re not broken and you’re definitely not alone.

A Quick Word on SAD

Seasonal Affective Disorder is very real. Shorter days, less sunlight, disrupted routines -those things mess with mood more than most people realize. If the holidays feel harder than usual, it may be a physiological reason, not a personal failing.

But today, I want to offer an additional definition of SAD:

SAD = Secretly A Dinosaur.

Yes, really.

If you’re feeling low, tired, or stuck in your head, here’s a scientifically unproven but surprisingly effective technique:

Stand up.
Walk around your house.
Roar like a dinosaur.

No reason. No audience required.

It’s nearly impossible to take yourself too seriously while doing it. It breaks the mental loop. It forces a breath. And sometimes that’s enough to shift things just a notch in the right direction.

If roaring isn’t your thing, try a walk outside, even if it’s cold. Get some light. Get some movement. Call someone you trust. Or give yourself permission to do absolutely nothing and not feel guilty about it.

One Last Thing

If this season is joyful for you, great. Lean into it.
If it’s hard, be gentle with yourself.
If it’s somewhere in between, that’s normal too.

We’ll get back to SQL Server, reliability, performance, and all the usual chaos soon enough. For now, it’s okay to just exist, breathe, and maybe scare the cat with a well-timed dinosaur roar.

Happy holidays, friends.
See you in the new year.