I created Paratus as a holiday for myself and all the folks that think like me. A holiday based around and upon our interest in preparedness. I won’t say its been a roaring success, but I get a lot of satisfaction and enjoyment out of it. But its not the only holiday I’ve made up.

Many people have ‘personal holidays’…days that mean nothing to the world at large but have meaning to them and, maybe, those closest to them. It could be your kids birthday, your wedding anniversary, the day you proposed to your wife, the day you won the Powerball, the day you finished your last tour, whatever…

I’ve designated February 5th as ‘Personal Safety Day’ for myself. (Jokingly referred to as Threatmas .) Although I practice shooting as often as I can, and try to make sure my gear is all up-to-date and in good repair it sometimes escapes my schedule. So..I have one day per year where, no matter what, it’s time to audit, review, update, and maintain the things that are meaningful to my personal safety. No excuses.

Whats that look like? Well, definitely some time at the range. Not target shooting, not plinking, not screwing around. Dead serious drills with a critical evaluation of my own performance and a measured plan to improve what needs improving. All the house guns get unloaded, inspected, cleaned. Batteries in lights get rotated out. Armour is checked for wear and tear. Cameras and video systems are inspected. Stashes of ammo and guns are inspected. Car stranding supplies are checked.  Smoke/CO detectors. That sort of thing. If its meant to keep me alive, safe, and secure…it gets vetted on this day.

Now, these are things I try to do during the year. But, we know how life sometimes makes it tough to do what youre supposed to do when your supposed to do it in the way youre supposed to. So..I gave myself a personal holiday in the year that is dedicated to nothing else but making sure the guns are ready, the fire extinguishers charged, the medications unexpired, the flashlights working, and that sort of thing. In fact, on my time-off request at work I label the reason as “Personal Safety Day”..I was asked about it the first time and although they looked at me a little funny, they approved it. I’d have made a big fuss about it if they hadn’t. Its the hill I’d die on to make sure I dont die on a hill.

Ideally, I try to do these sorts of tasks several times a year. Quarterly would be ideal. And sometimes I hit that mark, sometimes I don’t. But even if I completely drop the ball, PSD is the one guaranteed time it will occur. So, worst case scenario, at least it gets done once per year. (And Im not saying these things should be done once a year. I’m just saying I have this mechanism in place to make sure it does happen at least once per year.)

If I did get to do all these things during the year, on the schedule I’d prefer, then PSD is simply another layer of redundancy. But, for me, its the guarantee that at least the bare minimum will be done even if I completely blanked it out the rest of the year.

I’m not saying you need to have your own personal holiday like this. I’m only telling you what I do in my twisted little world. But…I will say that you should check your gear as often as you feel is necessary..at least several times a year. Maybe every daylight saving time changeover. Maybe every three-day weekend. Maybe on you and your spouses birthdays. Whenever. Assign some not-gonna-forget-it milestone days during the year to use as reminders. But do check your gear. A depressurized fire extinguisher, gun that goes click, empty gas can, dark flashlight, or dead radio battery is the last thing you want when you absolutely, positively need something in an emergency.

Other than the gear, PSD is also a day to wargame things. What else do I need to enhance my safety? To give me better odds? What risks am I exposed to that I wasn’t last year? What threats are in place that weren’t last year? Whats my plan in case this event happens?

And this isn’t just theory. PSD started for me when having the right piece of gear, at the right time, in a working and ready state, saved me from a potentially Very Bad Day. That made an impression and as a result….Personal Safety Day.

Ah 2024….we hardly knew ye.

Well, 2024 in revue..lets hit it.

World didn’t come to an end. Didn’t have to use my AK. Or Glock. Thats a victory.

Election went better than I had hoped, but its just re-arranging deck chairs on the Titanic at this point. Still have a job and even snagged a little raise. The people I care about are doing well. Still have a house. Did well in the market this year, especially in November, so I’m positioned to buy property far better than I was positioned at the beginning of the year…just gotta keep my eyes open.

About the only thing I can really complain about is that I didn’t find the property I want yet. Other than that, I really have nothing to complain about.

Forecast for ’25: Ukraine winds up having to come to the table as war fatigue sets in. Inflation is above 2% but nothing like what it was under Biden. Bidenistas become the Japanese hold outs of the political world, staying behind in government to crap in Trumps punch bowl every chance they get. At least one more assassination attempt is made/thwarted. Gas prices drop to lowest prices in four years. Markets are shaky, but ultimately trend upward. Wall does not get built. China continues to be the biggest threat to…everything. Alec Baldwin does not move to France. Cubs don’t win Series.

I want to think 2025 will be a better time under a better administration, but with the level of political balkanization out there…well, even the most well-intentioned executive will have trouble getting meaningful things done. Years that are divisible by five have always been rough ones for me so I’m going into this new year with my eyes open.

But, 2024 leaves, 2025 arrives, and I’m still here. Calling that a win. Good luck.

It’s that time of year when all the gift-giving holidays occur. Hanukah, Christmas, Festivus, Kwanza (although I really have my doubts this thing has legs), Festivus (which I bet has more observants than Kwanza), Boxing Day for the limeys and their fellow travelers, and a couple others that I’m forgetting.

Regardless, whatever holiday occurs this month that matters to you…have a happy one of it. Thank you to all who sent cards or gifts these last couple weeks…its always fun to find something in the mailbox.

Me, I’m going out to dinner with some cow orkers this evening, and then I plan on sleeping late tomorrow and getting in some range time.

Next week will have the obligatory end of year post, which I am working on now. 2025 is absolutely guaranteed to be more interesting than 2024. Should be highly entertaining. Say what you will about the apocalypse, its guaranteed not to be boring.

I received a couple cards and gifts in the mail from readers last week. I’d like to thank everyone who sent ( or is sending) holiday greetings/gifts. Gift-giving is always cool, but I’d rather you use your resources to enhance your own resilience rather than sending some cool geegaw to some faceless dude you read about on the internet.

However…if you’ve already got the whole resilience angle all taken care of, well, by all means, send the Zero some love.

But…cards or not, gifts or not, I still think youre all awesome.

ETA: Some trivia – For the shot where Hans Gruber falls from the top of the building, Alan Rickman was really dropped 40-feet onto an airbag with a blue-screen cover; the background was later edited in. A stuntman held Rickman up with a rope. Mirroring Rickman’s line repeated twice in the movie, the stunt crew was to count to 3 before releasing, but to get a genuine reaction from Rickman, the stunt man released the rope on the count of two, not three. Rickman later said during a Q&A that the stunt was purposely done on his last day on set.

Or, as others call it, ‘Thanksgiving’.

Personally, I don’t restrict my gratitude to one day of the year. I’m always aware of what I do and don’t have and who is or is not responsible for that.

This year, I’m thankful the election didn’t go to Harris. I’m also thankful that the fourth quarter of the year was pretty good to me market-wise. And, of course, I am thankful to me for all the cool and good stuff I’ve done for me this year. Thanks me!

The problem, if you want to call it that, with being aware of what you do and do not have is that it makes you very sensitive to things that threaten that status quo. I can sit in front of a giant plate of turkey, potatoes, stuffing, pie, and ice cream, and while I’ll enjoy the heck out of it I’ll also be very aware that just because I have it now doesn’t guarantee I’ll have it next year. But..I’d bet folding money that the odds of me having an abundant holiday next year are a darn sight better than a lot of folks. Again…thanks me!

And lets hope next years Thanksgiving doesn’t go like this:

Unfortunately, I am traveling for the holiday….so no shooty goodness for me.

But…I hope you get out there and reaffirm (and re-zero) your dedication to the cause.

That stupid annual quandry I always get: is it Patriot’s, Patriots, or Patriots’?

Regardless, today is the day the more historically orthodox of us observe the start of the American Revolution and ponder it’s implications.

Heinlein said that “the price of freedom is the willingness to do sudden battle anywhere, any time and with utter recklessness.” How do you do that? As a wise man once said, “with heart, faith, and skill.” But it also helps to have a good rifle, the skill to wield it effectively, and the mindset necessary to know when.

I’m trapped in an office today, so no range time today. But, definitely this weekend.

Remember, guys – this nation was founded by a buncha guys with guns who didn’t like paying taxes and being pushed around by .gov. It’s in your national DNA to dig in your heels and say BFYTW. Accept it, embrace it, live it.

Whatever your particular flavor of year-end holiday is, have a happy.

Go ahead, Kris…you earned it.

After-action gift reports are encouraged.