IWSG December Post: Writing during the Holidays

It is that time again to gather together as writers and blog about our writing insecurities and achievements. The following post was written for the IWSG monthly blogging event created by author Alex J Cavanaugh. Alex's awesome co-hosts for this month posting include Joylene Nowell Butler, Chemist Ken, Natalie Aguirre, Nancy Gideon, and Cathrina Constantine! Be sure to visit them after you’ve visited here. 
 
Monthly optional question: It's holiday time! Are the holidays a time to catch up or fall behind on writer goals? My writing stays consistent rain or shine, snow or fair skies, holiday or a regular day. Not much gets in my way at 5 a.m. in the morning, when I write for at least two hours. 
 
Update on my November Writing Project 
I completed my November goal of writing with 50,110 words at 10:12 p.m., on the 30^th of November. It was my first time ever to achieve the fifty thousand mark within the thirty days of November. 
 
Revelations:
 

• You CAN bring out again a 10–15-year-old idea and give it life.  
• I’m totally insane to write that number of words in November, one of the busiest months (for me) of the year. 
• Using the entire month of October to prepare an outline by using a Beat Sheet and scene list (with a goal in mind for each scene) worked really well for me and kept me on track. But...
• Once again, I ran out of new material to write and with only two days until the finish line. However, my October preparation helped me get nearer than ever before. What I did to get back on track was to return to the beginning, fill in details and worked on setting. 
• I talked a lot about this writing project to unsuspecting people, who would listen. When their eyes glazed over, I knew I needed to move on to the next person.

It feels great to have finished. I’m letting the story rest for a couple of weeks and then will return to it. During the last week of the November writing, a new short story idea nagged at me. I’m currently writing it. 
 
How is everyone? What are you currently writing and/or reading? Do you celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas? If so, do you host it or show up somewhere?  
 
T.