Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, & Thank You!

A holiday note of thanks from abroad, and why I’m ending the year feeling more hopeful.

Photo by me from somewhere tropical - December 24, 2025

I hope you’re having a very happy holiday season and a Merry Christmas if you celebrate! I wanted to thank you for your support this year. It’s meant the world to me.

I’m currently out of the country somewhere tropical, celebrating the holiday with my wife. We’re calling this our Honeymoon Part 2. We got married in May and are still riding that high.

It’s an interesting time to leave America. You get to hear an international perspective on US politics. Surprise, folks aren’t happy with our current president. But you’d be surprised how many people I’ve encountered who still believe in America more broadly and hope to come at some point after this administration is over.

As a journalist, taking vacations is generally weird. You never know what will happen while you’re gone.

Every time I leave the country, the news cycle decides to go insane. Last year, when I went to Italy, Trump got shot, and Biden dropped out of the race. Earlier this year, Signalgate dropped while I was in Jamaica. Now, the Epstein files start releasing. Maybe I should stay home for the stability of the county lol.

I’ve still been tuned into the Epstein files story and other developments. I have a lot of thoughts, and I already have several media appearances booked for when I’m back next week. Needless to say, I’ll have my work cut out for me.

Overall, I’ve been feeling more hopeful these days. I think we’ve seen enough evidence (elections, polling, cultural vibes) to definitively say the right has significantly overplayed its hand since the 2024 election, and it’s backfired on Trump and the Republican Party pretty spectacularly.

Trump is weakening, the MAGA coalition is fracturing, and the pro-democracy coalition has racked up some significant wins. So, as we head into the end of the year, I think we can breathe a little easier knowing that while there’s a lot of work we must do to combat the damage still being done, Trump’s authoritarian project is beginning to lose steam.

I hope you’re taking time to disconnect from social media a bit and be present with the people you love. And if you’re spending this holiday season alone, I hope you’re finding joy in the peaceful solitude. Wishing you nothing but the best.

With love and gratitude,

Ahmed Baba