Here, at the darkest time of any year, we gather the most reliable comforts and surround ourselves with talismans of protection, in anticipation of the ghosts that come scratching at the window panes when hours of daylight are fewer and farther between.

Some of those spirits are welcome, and we save them a place by the hearth, soothing them with mulled wine or leftovers from our feast.

Others are better left out in the elements where they belong, so when they beckon, we try our best to make it seem like no one’s home.

2020 has been a year when the real and unreal became virtually indistinguishable, when care became inseparable from conflict, and the many bitter losses all but guaranteed a stark and lonesome holiday season. But it has not been without its respites, its triumphs, and its important discoveries. So while many of us remain painfully separated from our loved ones, we are also bound in togetherness as we navigate this unique and unforgettable experience.

We at the Lab are brimming with gratitude for all the loyalty and support that has allowed us to keep up our strange endeavor, month after month, at a time when small businesses have failed in historic numbers. Like most of you, we have learned to take nothing for granted. And as we celebrate BPAL’s 18th year (to be marked by a special Anniversary perfume collection, which will have to come later) we can’t help tending a small candle of hope for many more years of Lupers, ‘Weenies, Lunacies, and all the special traditions we’ve managed to keep up with — including everyone else’s traditions which we’ve been invited to participate in.

So let’s close out 2020 with a recognition of the gathering darkness which the year’s other seasons never seemed to dispel, but also cast at least one candle-bright eye toward everything in the future that has yet to be revealed — a future which will hopefully see our traditions deepened and our connections restored, our celebrations multiplied. Remember that on the first day after the Solstice, the sunlight lasts two minutes and eight seconds longer than the day before. And then the next day, and the next!

We truly never know what might be possible in the future, and despite everything, we still remain terribly eager to find out.