As the year winds down and the holidays arrive, there’s a lot in the air—joy, celebration, connection—and, if we’re being honest, a fair amount of stress, overwhelm, and very full social calendars, too.
Still, the holiday season invites us to pay attention to joy. And perhaps just as
importantly, it reminds us that joy doesn’t have to be reserved only for the holidays.
In our nightly gratitude practice, Lacey and I often reflect on moments of joy. Over the past year, we’ve come to think of those moments, big and small, as the ones that let life feel a little more vivid, a little more alive. Like living in technicolor, even if only for a moment. (With thanks to an inspiring friend who first introduced us to that idea).
That way of seeing joy came up again recently during a yoga class, when our instructor shared a piece by Donna Ashworth called Joy Comes Back. Her words offer a reframe of what joy can be:
When you finally realize that joy is less fireworks, more firefly.
Less orchestra, more birdsong.
She will come back much more often.
For joy will not fight with the fast pace of this life…
She breathes in the basic.
Joy has been beckoning you for many a year, my friend.
You were just too busy doing to see.
The very next time joy comes around…give her a nod.
You cannot force her to stay, but if you are a gracious host, joy comes back.
It’s a reminder that joy isn’t always loud or obvious. More often, it’s subtle.
A meaningful conversation. The first sip of coffee on a cold morning.
A moment of clarity after a long stretch of effort. Ordinary days hold more joy than we sometimes notice, if we slow down enough to see it.
This year, one of our greatest moments of joy was celebrating five years of Noble Hill Consulting. That milestone exists because of the trust, partnership, and thoughtful work we get to do alongside you. We don’t take that lightly. In a world that moves fast and changes constantly, the opportunity to walk with leaders and organizations in meaningful ways continues to be both grounding and energizing for us.
As this year comes to a close, our hope for you is simple.
That joy finds you, maybe not with fireworks, but with fireflies.
That you notice it when it arrives and give it a nod when it does.
And that it brings a few moments of technicolor to your days in the year ahead.
Thank you for being part of our journey. We’re grateful to you, and we look forward to our work together in 2026.
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