A New Year (2026)

Source: iStock. Annarki.

Happy New Year everyone!  Welcome to the year 2026!  We’ve entered the late 2020s!  I know, right?  Fast time!  Okay, I’m done shouting.  I hope this year will be better than the last . . . hopefully.

I spent Christmas & New Year’s down south with family & old friends.  I wasn’t present in Arctic Bay when the clock struck midnight, so I didn’t film the outdoor celebrations, fireworks, and vehicle parade.  Instead, I watched the famous Times Square glowing ball in New York City descend a flagpole while thousands of people counted down the last 10 seconds of 2025.  I watched the live broadcast with family.  I watched a few performances and then went to bed.

My journey home began on January 2.  I flew to Iqaluit on Canadian North.  While waiting to board, I photographed a parked grey Air Canada plane painted with old Trans-Canada Air Lines markings.  Air Canada used to be called Trans-Canada Airlines until 1965.  I overnighted in Iqaluit and flew to Arctic Bay on the morning of January 3.  The flight was uneventful and landed at lunch time.  There was some light in the sky, but it felt like dusk.  I felt glad to be home. 

Downtown Iqaluit.

Arctic Bay.

School began on Monday, January 5.  Everyone greeted each other in the hallways with “Happy New Year!” and “Welcome back!”  High school students received their timetables for the second semester.  I teach high school guitar during the second semester.  I think it took everyone the first week of school to readjust to the set academic routines.  Many students & teachers kept themselves busy during the holidays by attending Christmas games organized by the hamlet at the local community hall.  The games start in the evening and go past midnight.  You don’t have to stay until the end, but the option is there.  They’re one of many ways to cope with dark season.

I’m teaching high school guitar like last year.  It’s a basic introductory course, but I’ve included intermediate level content later in the semester.  The primary instrument is the acoustic guitar, but the school also has electric & bass guitars for the students to try.  So far, my students learned proper posture, care & maintenance, string names, and a few simple songs.

Dark season is still happening but coming to an end.  Twenty minutes of sunlight are added every day, and the sun itself will return in early February.