22.12.2025 Happy holidays!
Published on 22.12.2025 in Tiit Lepik’s mailing list (in Estonian). The original letter in Smaily
A couple of holiday weeks are beginning. Perhaps already from yesterday — the solstice, the Sun’s birthday — until the arrival of the new year. This is a fitting moment to send holiday and New Year wishes.
I chose a piece of music. I wanted to talk about this year’s greatest concert experience. The truth is harsh. The concert by Villu Veski and Jan Gunnar Hoff at the Arvo Pärt Centre took place on 7 December 2024. It was an unspeakably great concert. The photo was taken, as always, by Toomas Tuul.
The piece below is from Ave Paulus’s wedding in Norway, but the masters’ music sounded just as good in Laulasmaa.
https://youtu.be/NYg4S59U4MU?si=3yNVBbZaRFsEo6Jm
What to do with these almost free two weeks? I have stocked my shelf with good, fairly recent Estonian poetry and filled the fridge with root vegetables. My music and film collection is also waiting for attention.
Despite the sad statistics — during the holidays, besides fireworks, the number of domestic violence cases and the consumption of alcohol and drugs also go up — I hope that all of us will get through the holidays without major mishaps.
For the new year I only wish that it will be as great a year as this one. Estonia has done very well, despite the politicians’ curses and people’s crying that the state is to blame for all our troubles. One of the few fact-based summaries of the Estonian economy in plain language comes from SEB bank’s economist Mihkel Nestor on Esimene Stuudio on 11 November.
https://jupiter.err.ee/1609847590/esimene-stuudio
I have had a successful year myself. I survived sepsis following blood poisoning. Two months in hospital and then another month. Thanks to the doctors, nurses and orderlies of the PERH. Now I am starting to become human again. On better days I can manage to shuffle a couple of hundred metres without a rollator. Life is beautiful while it lasts! Thanks to everyone who helped, especially Paula and Lauri.
Fortunately my colleagues at work have been understanding and sympathetic about my health problems. I have also made an effort as far as I could.
Happy holidays to everyone!
