Happy holidays From Ian & Cindy

Hope your holiday season is going well. To kick things off, you might remember that we have a habit of trying to make our cards interactive. This year, you can be part of the card. Ever wonder what it's like to be Kevin McCallister? Snap a pic and send us the result! :)

This year was quite a rush, and this card is no different. A few outfit tests and a speedy photoshoot later, we've become the Home Alone villains, the Wet Bandits. We put the movie on the TV, enlisted our friend Robert to help us snap some pics, and voila!

(We're basically taking for granted that pretty much everyone has seen this movie. Due to repeated viewings, this movie is practically baked into Ian's memory. But if you're not as familiar, when Kevin, the kid pictured above, is accidentally left behind while his family goes on vacation, he's left to his own devices to prevent us from robbing his house.)

Some of you fans might also know that Home Alone 2 takes place in New York City. We know, we know. We live in NYC, we should have done Home Alone 2... but you'll just have to wait for the sequel.

The year 2025 is reaching its conclusion, and many people (you included) are wondering what the year held for Ian and Cindy. You've come to the right place. Buckle up, and let us take you on a brief sleigh ride through our year, and let our annual highlights be your warm hearth on this cold winter night.

First up: travel

Cindy and Ian covered more distance this year than any other before. We visited some awesome places, and some pretty decent airport lounges.

Between the two of us we went to...

We had a lot of firsts this year. It was Ian's first time visiting Europe and Asia. We went to London and Paris with Nikhil (and met up with many friends in the process). And our Taipei and Hong Kong trips were with our friends Annie and Zac. Cindy tried skiing for the first time and got to experience some sick slopes in Vermont.

We're getting to the age where our friends are getting married left and right, so we traveled a bit for weddings. This year, our friends' weddings brought us to Oregon, Long Island, and Pennsylvania. And Cindy traveled to her mom's hometown of Taiyuan in China for her cousin's!

And lastly, we traveled to see our beloved family. Ian was in Chicago a whopping 5 times this year. And both of us flitted around the east coast and to Phoenix as well.

Big moves

We moved apartments this year! Our new place is about three quarters of a mile south of our last one. Technically it's a different neighborhood—we went from Greenpoint to Williamsburg.

The move went (mostly) smoothly; we hired movers for most of our stuff and carted the rest in a wagon door-to-door.

Our new place is definitely an upgrade. Great natural light, a few new building amenities, and more space. Come visit and check it out!

Life at home

In between traveling and moving, we still managed to take advantage of many things the city has to offer.

We're lucky to have so many friends nearby (and visiting). A lot of our weekends and nights were spent exploring the local cuisine, going to concerts and shows, and at many a party.

For sport, we began playing softball in a rec league. Our team hasn't won anything yet, but next season it'll be totally different, we swear.

Fin

We're enjoying the company of Ian's family and the calm of the Chicago suburbs before 2026 officially gets moving. Thank you for reading, and we hope your holidays are swell! Goodbye 2025!

Cindy's addendum

Ian's newsletter

Revisit our past cards

2024's card

2023's card