As 2024 comes to a close, it’s time to reflect on what turned out to be a busy and productive year. The highlight was completing Interpreting Christmas at History Museums and Historic Sites, co-edited with Ken Turino, which released in September. This project was a labor of love for the two dozen contributors, and it’s been gratifying to see it resonate with so many museum professionals.

Another major milestone was taking a sabbatical from George Washington University in the fall. During this time, I attended two intense and inspiring programs: the Newport Summer School, which focused on Victorian architecture and decorative arts, and the Royal Collection Studies course, which explored the management and interpretation of royal palaces and their collections. These experiences gave me fresh insights into interpretive strategies and leadership in historic sites that I look forward to integrating into my work and teaching. I can easily recommend these two professional development programs (and a sabbatical)!

Unfortunately, all this activity kept me from blogging as much as I would have liked. With only 27 posts this year (yikes!), I didn’t meet my goal of regular posting. Despite this, EngagingPlaces.net still attracted an impressive 14,000 visitors, most of whom were from the United States. Google remains the largest driver of traffic, but I noticed a surprising new source: ChatGPT. Perhaps I shouldn’t be surprised, given how much AI has grown in 2024.

The posts that resonated most with readers this year focused on timeless museum practices, like crafting mission statements and financial management, as well as timely topics such as Interpreting Christmas, learning outcomes for the Semiquincentennial, and projection mapping. This demonstrates that museum professionals value a mix of evergreen content, actionable advice, and insights into emerging trends. These themes will guide my content planning for the year ahead.

Looking ahead to 2025, I hope to post on a weekly basis, though this spring semester may be challenging. I’ll be stepping into the role of Interim Program Head for GWU’s Museum Studies Program while my colleague Suse Anderson is on sabbatical. Balancing administrative responsibilities with teaching and research will be a new adventure!

Sustainability will likely be a recurring theme in the blog next year. I’m teaching a new course on creating sustainable museums, and my work on two book projects—one on financial management and another on community engagement—will give me plenty of ideas to explore and share. The blog will remain a space to test these concepts and invite responses from the museum community.

Thank you for your continued support and engagement this year. Here’s to an exciting and productive 2025!