Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Matthew, Ericka, Avery, Kern, Dash, Agate, Hamilton, Violet and Bungee*! Please enjoy this festive audio document of events that actually happened.

*Rest in peace, little hamster friend

Good, Good Year

[Verse 1]

The year kicked off freezing, polar vortex at the door,
So we built a cardboard fortress on the basement floor.
Agate turned one, acting like she owned the place,
Zoomies through the hallway, tongue across your face.

Then we hit the Birkie — kids’ race first, skis in tow,
Ericka raced the big one, cutting strong through the snow.
When cabin fever peaked, we chased a southern breeze,
Florida sun and kayaks gliding through the seas.

We swore we'd see gators and totally lose our cool,
But we got Norovirus instead — down by the pool.
LEGO robots in April ruled the house end to end,
Kids chasing their creations down the hall’s every bend.

Birthdays came in May — six candles, big grins,
Matthew flew off to Denmark and then onto Sweden.
Next we added a hamster, tiny heartbeat, tiny spin,
Little paws sprinting like he swore he’d always win.

[Pre-Chorus]
Yeah, it’s been a good, good year,
Laughing through the wild and weird.
Looking back, it’s pretty clear…
Man, it’s been a good, good year.

[Chorus]
Whoa-oh, we made it through,
And we’re grateful we get to share it with you.
Whatever 2026 brings near, we’ll keep singing—
It’s been a good, good year.

[Verse 2]
But one month later… well… hamster round one was done,
So we tried again — new furball, new fun.
Ericka climbed Whitney, reaching sky and stone,
Came back shining like our fifteen years have been.

Avery hit ten, growing bright as the sun,
Spent the night in a pirate ship before the school year begun.
October brought chaos — candy bags dragging, good lordy,
And somewhere in the mix of it all… Matthew turned forty.

Ericka ran the Traverse — set an FKT,
Fastest Known Time that trail may ever see.
Then the sky lit up glowing like a cosmic frontier,
Northern lights swirling like they chose our yard this year.

The boys hit six-and-a-half — that moment in November:
Officially six seven, greatest age of the year

[Final Chorus]
Whoa-oh, we made it through,
And we’re grateful we get to share it with you.
For every high and every near-miss cheer,
You were part of what made it a good, good year.

Whoa-oh, here’s to what comes next—
Whatever 2026 expects.
We’ll keep laughing, loving, keeping each other near—
Merry Christmas — thanks for a good, good year.

[Outro]
May your stories keep on growing,
May the good times reappear.
Here’s to all the light that finds you—
Have a good good year.