Faux Pelini

As we kick off the new year, let’s revisit some post-holiday advice from our days at The Athletic. First, a reader named Bryan wasn’t sure how to handle a crappy Christmas gift from his wife. Bryan was a bit of an overthinker, too clever for his own good. I assume his marriage has ended by now. Next we heard from Dino, a newly divorced football fan who was struggling with whether to continue a holiday tradition as a single guy.

The end of the year usually makes me nostalgic, but this one feels different. I’m perfectly fine with putting 2025 behind us. It was not our planet’s best work. Will 2026 be better? Sure, maybe! Let’s try harder, at least. In any event, the annual flip of the calendar allows us to tap into a fresh stream of manufactured optimism, and that’s the path I’m choosing this year. At least until February. One thing I’d love us all to work on next year is being less suspicious of each other.