TODAY is the day when politicians head back to the scene of political discord that is the zombie assembly at Stormont to resume talks.
After several failed attempts to restore devolution in the last three years, the recent Westminster election results are expected to focus minds.
With three elections in 2019 - local government, European and Westminster - it was a bumper year for democracy and a fascinating one to be a journalist.
And those recent elections have highlighted an interesting change in voting patterns that few could or would have predicted five years ago.
The unionist electorate have changed and matured in a way that the two main unionist parties have either missed completely or wilfully ignored.
The DUP's support of Brexit was an act of monumental self-harm, the repercussions of which have not even started to take hold.
Boris Johnson now has a mandate to do whatever he wants, whenever he wants.
From schmoozing the DUP at their conference to endorsing the economic alignment of Ireland north and south with a sea border, it has been quite the journey of discovery for the party.
The leadership had their heads turned with fancy dinners held in stately splendour, with promises of loyalty and a seat at the table of power.
Now they'll be lucky to get the kitchen scraps as a Boris Brexit will happen at the end of January with or without their support.
If unionist voters keep moving in the numbers they have been from the DUP to Alliance, without so much as a mild flirtation with the UUP in between, then there will be even more pain for mainstream unionism in the future.
There are now more nationalist MPs elected to Westminster than unionist, a first since the formation of the state almost 100 years ago.
Unionism has to find a way to look progressive and attract new voters while also holding on to the ones they still have.
A way to marry 2020 social norms with the evangelical wing of the DUP, who still hold great influence despite being increasingly out of step with the Northern Ireland they inhabit.
Resistance to change to date does not bode well for the party who peaked in the 2017 Westminster election only to come back down to earth with a bang two years later.
While they have still not fully prepared their base for change, have still not conveyed just what was being discussed and compromised in the pre-Christmas talks, they know they must now find a way to get back to Stormont. For without a seat of power they are weakened.
Brexit's economic impact on Northern Ireland is yet to be fully felt and the DUP will also have to be seen to mitigate against that or else take responsibility for the pursuit of a policy that has damaged their precious union.
And what of nationalism?
The SDLP, who were a party of seemingly unstoppable decline, regained two seats in south Belfast and Derry with considerably renewed confidence.
Taking over 57 per cent of the vote in both constituencies was beyond the party’s wildest expectations.
Sinn Féin will be stung by the drop in vote in their core constituencies, a pattern they will be desperate to reverse in any future election.
Avoiding an early election in 2020 is in both main parties’ interests - they need time to regroup, to rethink and to restructure.
They need to show a politically savvy electorate that they have been listening and that they are up to the job of governing with openness and transparency.
Sinn Féin have deep pockets and boots on the ground to fight any challenge but they have also been complacent, have assumed that votes gained were for life regardless of circumstance.
Taking out Nigel Dodds in North Belfast was a massive victory for the party but it masked disappointing results elsewhere.
2019 was a sobering year for the big two and I for one am fascinated as to how it will impact politics here going forward.
Will the new year bring with it a new spirit of goodwill and compromise?
Regardless of what goes on in the political world I remain thankful for those of you who buy this newspaper and read my weekly column.
From my family to yours, I wish you a happy and healthy new year.
