All is calm, all is bright

It’s Christmas time, there’s no need to be afraid… or so the song goes. I like this time of year, the miserable weather is counter-balanced by the mirth and merrymaking of festivities and we can forget it’s Winter, if only for a few weeks while we bask in the coloured lights and enjoy a much needed holiday.

Business-wise, it’s been a great year for Soft Octopus, the business has grown a little and the happy clients keep coming back for more. Personally however, I’ve never known a year filled with such sadness, loss and ill-health of those I hold near and dear. Creative heroes David Band and Steve Jobs both died and my Father in law and Nephew both went, way before their time. It’s been challenging at times holding everything together and dealing with the grieving and loss.

This is the time of the year when I genuinely feel like there’s closure and calm. It’s a great time to cast aside all the things you never got around to, or at least making a pledge to deal with them in the new year. Whilst it’s quiet, I’ve had a chance to update the website with loads of new portfolio items and will be sorting out my office, cleaning up the Macs, trimming the dead wood from Facebook, Twitter and finally binning all that paperwork after the evil tax return.

I’d like to wish everyone a merry Christmas and a much happier new year. Bring on 2012! A year to be full of world travel, good friends, happy clients and a chance to finally get out there and make use of my newly acquired driving licence. Now then, what shall I drive?