The new year is once again upon us and all of us here at Hot Air and the rest of the Salem Media Network want to extend our thanks to all of you who regularly visit our sites, take in our content, and participate in the ongoing conversations. With the overwhelming majority of the legacy media so deeply in the pockets of the liberal agenda, it’s absolutely your participation that allows us all to combat The Narrative that has brought us to the current series of crises that we face. We are particularly appreciative of the support of our VIP members who help keep the wheels turning, but each and every one of you is keeping hope alive.

I will confess that 2023 has been a year that stretched my ability to embrace joy and hope for the coming season. The Biden administration has been nothing short of an unmitigated disaster in nearly every policy area of interest and the normal order of American life that citizens have the right to expect, ranging from border security to crime to basic human decency. And we are entering into another full year of the same by all indications, barring some extraordinary change in the current state of affairs.

But as the saying goes, it’s always darkest before the dawn, even if dawn is still a fair way off. All of the polling we’ve seen of late suggests that more and more people are waking up to the reality that the Democrats’ agenda has been destructive to our nation in every conceivable way and a tidal shift may be brewing. And conservatives are, if anything, fighters, first last, and always. And there is plenty left worth fighting for. So let us enjoy the holiday break and refresh ourselves for the battles to come. We should also allow ourselves a bit of humor and cheer as we ring in 2024. With that in mind, I would point you to one of the lesser-known poems of Rudyard Kipling on the subject of New Year’s resolutions, of which he was not a big fan. Here’s a portion of it:

I am resolved throughout the year
To lay my vices on the shelf;
A godly, sober course to steer
And love my neighbors as myself—
Excepting always two or three
Whom I detest as they hate me…

I am resolved—that vows like these,
Though lightly made, are hard to keep;
Wherefore I’ll take them by degrees,
Lest my back-slidings make me weep.
One vow a year will see me through;
and I’ll begin with Number Two.

Kipling had a streak of sarcasm and an occasionally dark sense of humor. But he also had a way of seeing into the reality of the lives of typical people and the ability to appreciate our shortcomings as well as our triumphs. The coming year will likely be rough in many ways, but let us never lose sight of the things that really matter. If we hold close to our families, and our loved ones, our moral and personal convictions, and our belief that we can get through this period and restore America to greatness, we’re going to be okay. So stay strong, keep the faith, and know once again that we appreciate your participation and support. Happy New Year’s to all.