New Year’s Eve commentary: What 2025 took from us — and what we’re carrying into 2026
Dec 31, 2025, 7:03 AM | Updated: 12:08 pm
Tonight at midnight, we all turn the page.
I’ve been thinking a lot about the year we’re leaving behind. 2025 was hard. For a lot of us. Maybe for you.
I’m like you. People I know and like died this year. A few people I know faced cancer. Some beat it. Some are still fighting. Others lost their jobs. Lost their parents. Lost marriages. Lost their footing for a while.
But here’s what I noticed. They didn’t lose hope. Their light may have dimmed a bit, but it didn’t go out. They didn’t lose their kindness. They kept showing up. Kept calling to check in on others even when they were the ones who needed checking in on. Kept finding reasons to laugh. Kept putting one foot in front of the other. And sometimes they were the light for someone else without even knowing it.
That matters — more than they probably realize.
And much like these life events marked new chapters for them personally, tonight we all get to turn the page together. There’s something to that. The calendar is arbitrary, sure. January 1st is just another Thursday. But humans need markers. We need permission to start fresh. Tonight is that permission.
So here’s what I want you to hold onto as the clock strikes 12.
You’re here. Right now. Listening. You made it through another year. That’s not guaranteed for anyone. You woke up this morning with another chance to work on yourself. To be a little better tomorrow than you were today. To say the thing you’ve been putting off. To make the call. To let go of the grudge. To try again.
I’m not going to stand here and tell you 2026 is going to be easy. It won’t be. I’m pretty sure of that. The challenges facing this city, this country, this world aren’t going away at midnight. The problems we’ve talked about all year on this show will still be here in the morning. Some will get worse before they get better.
But that’s not the whole story. It never is.
There will be good news too. There will be breakthroughs and babies and promotions and recovery. There will be moments that take your breath away. There will be strangers who show you kindness and friends who show up when it matters. There will be light. There always is, if you’re willing to look for it.
So tonight, if you’re lucky enough to have someone to kiss at midnight, kiss them. If you’re alone, know that you’re not really. There are a lot of us out here pulling for you. This audience. This community. We’re in this together.
Let there be light. That was the first command. The starting point for everything that followed. Tonight we start again. Carry whatever light you have into what comes next.
It doesn’t have to be bright. Just lit.
Happy New Year. Wherever you’re hearing this, I hope tonight is good to you, and 2026 brings you more light than darkness.
Charlie Harger is the host of “Seattle’s Morning News” on KIRO Newsradio. You can read more of his stories and commentaries here. Follow Charlie on X and email him here.
