DONIS CASEY: Write Errant

Happy New Year from Donis. Christmas is over, Boxing Day is done, and I’ve eaten too much. The end of the year has always been a big time for me, marked not just by Christmas and New Years, but my birthday on December 29. Yes, I was Mama and Daddy’s little tax deduction. Which means that  January 1 is the beginning of my new year in a literal way. December is Big Birthday and Special Event Month in my family.* My mother, sister, and grandfather were born on December 6, 7, and 8, respectively. My parents’ wedding anniversary was December 16, which also was traditionally the day my father took us kids to the lot to pick out our Christmas tree. Then we had Christmas, my birthday, and New Year’s Day, which was the day we ate black-eyed peas and cornbread and took down the tree.

These days my Christmases/Birthdays/New Years are much quieter. My parents are gone, I have no kids of my own, and my siblings and in-laws and their families all live far away. So my husband and I have developed our own little rituals and practices with friends or on our own. We don’t even do much in the way of presents. For the past few years we have gone out together and bought things for ourselves. It really takes the pressure off.

For my 2025 birthday we watched movie, ate Italian food and chocolate lava cake, and I worked crossword puzzles, which is a great treat for me since I love puzzles but don’t generally allow myself to waste so much time on them.

But as of, January 1, the end of the year celebrations are over and the time will have come to begin anew. I wish you all a wonderful 2026, and I hope it is a year of good fortune, health, and great productivity. 

Let’s start the year off right with my wonderful Tell Me Your Story guest – on Jan.20 I’m hosting Charles R. Olachea, a former Army Tactical Intelligence Officer, whose tours in Korea and Honduras prepared him for a life of adventure. In 1987, he joined the DEA and spent 28 years as a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent. His cases took him all over the United States and across the world to Nepal, Canada, Guatemala, Colombia and Mexico. His forthcoming book, set to release February 8, 2025, titled Dead Man Zone, introduces protagonist Rip Razorton and is based on Charlie’s experiences while serving in South Korea.
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*Interesting factoid: my husband is one of six children, three of whom, including himself, have spouses with December 29 birthdays. I don’t know what that means.