Wishing everyone a good continuation of 2025!  I haven’t been sending out personal holiday cards for some time now. I used to make it an artistic outlet and create individual art pieces, but these days, I have come to find the holiday vacation as a time for spending as much time as I can with family, and also myself. So, I am creating this letter for anyone who is interested in my thoughts today.

I had a tremendous end of 2024, in Stockholm with my mother and sister and her family. I am posting some of the lovely Christmas trees that were meaningful to me this year, one in Union Square, San Francisco, one at my place in SF, the creative official Christmas tree in Vilnius, and then the family tree in Stockholm. We had a traditional Lithuanian Kūčios for Christmas Eve, and then spaghetti on Christmas day.  On New Years Eve, it snowed! We watched the fireworks of Stockholm with the snow blowing around us. 

I then flew to India: the plane was supposed to bring me to Delhi, but due to the fog, we landed in Mumbai. After much confusion with airline tickets, I made it to Bangalore to meet some friends and give an informal talk at the Tata Institute for Genetics and Society. Then back to Delhi, but the pollution is so bad there, my sister and I helped bring my uncle to Goa, where there is the sun and sea and fresh air. The sea in Goa is so luscious and warm, the beach expansive. India is continuing to grow, and every time I visit, it seems that there is more traffic, and incredible growth in the cities. But people for the most part seem optimistic. I believe that over the years, quality of life has been improving. I wouldn’t say that for the health of the ecosystems though; a lot of pollution. It was a quick trip, but always an adventure in India. 

I ended in Vilnius visiting my colleagues at the Nature Research Centre, where I have had established collaborations for now 24 years. I have also decided to renovate my little house, so that it is more usable. It needs a new bathroom for sure. Hopefully by the summer, it will be ready. Vilnius is also on an upward trajectory, with new infrastructure and overall a feeling of optimism, despite the nearby war. The restaurants are full, and the prices are nearly the same as Stockholm. It has become a cosmopolitan city with more immigrants from all over the world. Vilnius now is a European capital, with tourists and multinational companies. 

I am not feeling the same optimism for the USA right now. California started the year with the devastating fires, and small earthquakes. It is an inherently precarious part of the world. On top of that are major budget cuts to the universities and sky-high housing prices. Then there is Trump. I will not comment on world politics, but I am concerned. I tend to be optimistic, and I focus on my science and music, and family and friends. We live in a time where we accept changes that would have been unbelievable just a few years ago; Driverless cars, free video calls to anywhere in the world, artificial intelligence creating my lectures, paying in the store with telephones…  It’s all beyond belief. With the beginning of 2025, I wish everyone some time to reflect, to plan resiliency, and recommit to the love we have for each other and the planet.  Ravinder