Thank You

Well… we made it. 

We made it through Christmas, we made it through another year of the project, and, most importantly, we made it through 2020. I’m not going to pretend any of that was easy; this has been a historically grim year, so merely making it this far is an achievement worth celebrating.

I’m also not going to pretend that running this blog is some valiant effort, but it does require an immense amount of time and attention on my part and the writers’ part. There are worse ways to spend my free time than running a Sufjan Christmas blog, and that proved to be a needed distraction this year.

Ultimately, for as much pressure as we put on Christmas, for as much as we ascribe to it, for as much importance as we put on this one day… it’s ultimately just that; another day. Christmas is a distraction, these albums are a distraction, and this project is a distraction. This entire season is just one big distraction from the cold, harsh world outside.

Okay, I don’t want this to be a bummer, but 2021 is still going to be a challenging year. For as much adversity as we faced this year, there will be just as much to overcome in the next 365 days. For as much as we changed our lives to survive a global pandemic, there will be just as much to adapt to next year. For as cold and heartless as our government and police have acted, those problems still lie in wait for us on the other side of the calendar after the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Eve. 2020 was rightfully eye-opening to many people, and everything that this project represents is a distraction from that reality. As much as I love Christmas and Sufjan, it’s time to get back to work and try to make this world better in some small way.

Political and societal dread aside, I am incredibly thankful to everyone that’s joined us for this year’s iteration of the calendar. As with every previous year, I am shocked at the support this blog has received. Every like we receive, every retweet we got, every positive comment someone made… I see it. Every writer that helped by pouring their hearts and experiences out onto the digital page… I see every ounce of passion you give. Every late night and tired morning I spent editing posts… well, my partner saw that one. 

Luckily it all paid off. 2020 has been the most successful year this blog has ever seen, both from an analytical “metrics” side of things and from a more subjective emotional perspective. I’ve never been as proud of the batch of 25 posts we’ve created as I have been this year. What’s more, watching our big bad internal Google Sheet of all 100 Sufjan Christmas songs fill up over the last three years has been immensely satisfying. If all goes according to plan, next year will see us wrapping this project up as we write about the final 25 Sufjan Christmas songs that we’ve yet to cover… After that, who knows? 

Running this blog has become one of my favorite holiday traditions. Watching 25 writers pour their hearts out about their favorite Sufjan Christmas songs year after year is nothing short of inspirational. Every year, I’m reminded of the kindness and creativity of strangers who come out of the woodwork to share and support and remind me what this season is really about in the process.

There’s nothing else for me to say but Thank You. Thank you for reading, thank you for writing, thank you for sharing, and thank you for listening. You are the fuel that keeps us going. You are our Christmas spirit. We couldn’t do this without you. Thank you.

Stay safe, look after each other, and love one another.

We’ll see you next year. 

Love, Taylor