Here we are in the first week of March, and Christmas Clatter Podcast is ready to begin the journey to Christmas 2021. There are great new things in store for this year and a return of the things you love from Christmas Clatter. Also, there is a change in the release schedule for new episodes, which I think you’ll like. Before looking ahead too much, let’s talk about the past two months.
Signing off for Christmas 2020, I vowed to be back on schedule for releasing episodes on the 15th and 30th every month. In January, I was able to release an episode with Brian Earl of Christmas Past Podcast. Early February, another episode was released with Anthony of Tis The Podcast and Gerry of Totally Rad Christmas Podcast. That has been so far for episode releases in 2021; I only provided 50% of what I promised. On top of that, Christmas Clatter’s social media posts have been intermitted, at best, so much so that several have reached out to me to make sure everything was ok. A sentiment I appreciate; it’s nice to know you’re being missed. So, why the unexplained, unexpected drop-off in content? There are a few reasons.
One, the Christmas blues. I wasn’t ready to let go of last Christmas as quickly as usual, much less start looking forward to next Christmas. My wife and I left decorations up far longer than expected, and I believe I didn’t take any down. She started the process and finished it slowly over a week or so. Some decorations remain, a couple of little whatnots on a shelf and mistletoe hanging in the living room entrance, and they can stay put as far as I’m concerned.
Two hours at work exploded. Many know I work for the post office, and people generally think once Christmas is over, things slow down. That’s a myth. Gift cards given as presents for Christmas are quickly redeemed, with Amazon being probably the most significant gift card seller. Pile on top of that with about seven inches of snow, and as a letter carrier, you’re looking at 12 to 13 hour days. That didn’t leave much time or energy to work on the podcast.
Three, I was avoiding burnout. Christmas Clatter is approaching its second year of podcasting, and I hope to keep the podcast growing and evolving. In 2020 I switched to weekly episodes in October, and it was fantastic. I didn’t plan on how much work it would be. Don’t get me wrong, and I love it. It’s still time-consuming. Scheduling, recording, editing, posting, emails from people wanting to be on the podcast, and weeding through those to see what projects I connected with. I loved every minute of it. However, I was worn out too. I was afraid jumping right back in my regular schedule without a proper break and rest would lead to burnout and that would take longer to bounce back from.
Since I’ve been out of sight, please don’t think that I haven’t been working on Christmas Clatter. We successfully launched Clatter Chatter, our free email newsletter. I have been planing and scheduling. I’ve purchased new equipment and software to improve the sound quality and sound consistently of the podcast. I’m looking at ways to make Christmas Clatter more accessible to those with hearing impairments. I’m also still planning on having video podcasts, live streams, and more available on Youtube. The new episode release schedule has been updated, now new episodes are releasing every other Tuesday, starting March 9th. Yes, in October, episodes will be released weekly again. Let’s buckle up and take this road to Christmas together!