[Note: I’m doing a 26-word post on the first day of each month of 2026. It’s an exercise in concision and precision, which every writer should attempt now and then.  Also Note: This explanation is separate from the 26-word count.]

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January, Schmanuary. September – with its sense of “new” everywhere: pencils and notebooks and a season that promises cooler days and nights – is the REAL New Year.