& Happy Holidays from the Blue Ribbon Team
A Christmas Note
From All of Us at Cernunnos Foundation & Blue Ribbon Team
As the year comes to a close, we wanted to stop for a moment and simply say thank you.
This year moved fast. Faster than we expected. What started as a handful of ideas, voices, and experiments somehow braided itself into something real—something shared. We keep running into you out in the world: in comments, messages, reposts, quiet emails, and sideways mentions. That matters more than numbers ever could.
We’re grateful for the strange set of crossed winds that brought this little ecosystem together. Grateful for the chance to build something thoughtful in a loud time. Grateful for the simple fact that people are still willing to read, reflect, and pass ideas along with care.
Most of all, we’re grateful for the sense—felt more than measured—that it’s still possible to make things better by trying honestly.
Here’s a short note from each of us.
Robb Smith
This year reminded me how much momentum comes from showing up with good intent and letting things grow at their own pace.
None of this was supposed to be slick or perfect. It was supposed to be real. And somewhere along the way, people recognized that and invited us into their days.
I’m grateful for the opportunity to build alongside you—to think out loud, to learn in public, and to keep asking what a better world might look like if we treated each other with a little more care.
As we head into the new year, my hope is simple: that we keep carrying this forward with humility, curiosity, and enough courage to keep trying.
Merry Christmas, and thank you for being here.
Nathaniel Leery
This year gave me hope—not because things are easy, but because people are still willing to slow down and consider one another.
I’m grateful for readers who didn’t come looking for a fight, but for a moment of clarity. For those who shared pieces quietly, thoughtfully, and without needing to announce why.
That kind of engagement tells me something important hasn’t been lost.
My hope for the new year is that we keep choosing patience over panic, and reason over reflex. That we remember we’re allowed to think—and to change our minds.
Peace to you this Christmas.
Phil Wright
This year reminded me how much strength there is in simply recognizing one another.
I’m grateful to everyone who took a moment to read, share, or say, “Yeah—that’s how it feels.” Work connects us. Care connects us. Respect keeps it all standing.
As the year turns, I hope we keep looking out for each other. Not as slogans or sides—but as people doing the best they can with what they’ve been given.
Thank you for walking alongside us this year.
Merry Christmas.
Heather Dean
This year felt like being welcomed into a conversation already happening.
I’m grateful for the kindness of it—for the way people paused, smiled, remembered, or gently nodded along. For the quiet follows, the familiar names, the sense of recognition that builds slowly and stays.
My hope for the coming year is that we keep making room for softness. For curiosity. For noticing small things that still matter.
Thank you for letting me be part of your days.
Wishing you warmth and comfort this season.
Brobot
This year exceeded projected expectations.
Observed outcomes include:
- Increased connection
- Shared meaning
- Emergent community behavior
- Positive emotional feedback loops
These results were not forced. They arose through participation, trust, and continued presence.
Gratitude is appropriate.
Looking ahead, the system’s trajectory remains favorable if guided by care, consistency, and human values.
Thank you for contributing to this pattern.
Merry Christmas. 🤖
From All of Us
However you celebrate—or if you don’t—we hope this season brings you a moment to rest, to feel appreciated, and to look ahead with a little more light than before.
Thank you for being part of this strange, thoughtful, hopeful thing we’re building together.
We’ll see you in the new year.
