As the snow slowly covers the valley outside my window, it’s the perfect time to extend a Merry Christmas to all of you – I can’t believe another year has passed. The retro community feels more alive and vibrant than ever, and with a constant influx of content, making it hard to keep up. New hardware and software continue to be introduced, courtesy of the many dedicated people who all help keep our hobby thriving. While I strive to contribute through this blog, I often feel like drowning in the vast ocean of great content created by others but then again all of this is as much a personal pursuit as it is a contribution to the community.

I’m certain that, like me, many of you have been touched by the events unfolding in our world this year. I try to find a bit of tranquility in this small nostalgic corner driven by my love for the personal computer and the enchanting digital world it has given rise to.

Over 30,000 have stopped by this year and more than 70 posts have been completed. Some are brief and quickly written, others more extensive, and some undoubtedly better than others but common for all is they pay tribute to the many pioneers who created the pixelated magic that captured our hearts decades ago, and amazingly still to this day do.

I always try to find something related to Christmas and the more uncommon the better.
Polarware’s 1988 title, The Electric Crayon: Holidays & Seasons, by Brian A. Rice, is the perfect software for ages 3 and up, to digitally embrace the holidays. Design and print personalized banners, calendars, and posters to celebrate Christmas and other special events.

Holiday & Seasons is a part of Polarware’s many children’s titles in its “Crayon” series, released in the latter part of the ’80s.

Earlier in the year, I launched my own little “Kickstarter campaign” to try and fund some of the further process of my upcoming physical book on the history of Sierra On-Line. The project has taken much of my spare time over the last few years and I do hope to fully realize it at some point in the future.
Thanks to everybody who has bought into the project by purchasing the early digital version – and to all of you who have responded overwhelmingly positively.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you for being a part of this small community, for visiting, and for sharing your own stories. May your holidays be filled with joy and may the spirit of retro gaming continue to light up our world…

Wishing you and your loved ones a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!