At the risk of sounding like a middle-aged, menopausal woman who can’t quite catch her breath for hot flushes amidst her panic of Christmas present buying – where has all the time gone? I can’t quite believe we’re nearing the end of another year when it feels like only last month I was writing my well wishes to you all in 2010.

But alas, here we are at the last hurdle of 2011 with only one stack left to climb: Christmas. And now that I look back, what a year it’s been.

MyFashionLife has trumped some enormous hurdles of its own this year, and like a beaming mother, every time I catch glimpse of our Best Independent Magazine winner’s badge I’m reminded of just how far we’ve come. Scooping our first ever award was an incredibly proud moment for myself and the entire MFL team, who work round the clock to ensure no fashion corner is ever left in tact – they’re no scientists, but they can dissect a good style story to within an inch of its punctuation-packed paragraphs.

Christmas is a particularly poignant time of year for me – a time to reflect on the 12 months past, but also a chance to look forward to new challenges, which is why, after one and a half hard-worked and often hectic years as your editor-in-chief, I’ll be leaving MyFashionLife for pastures new in 2012.

I have had such an incredible time running this fabulous website, and though every publication will tell you the same, I truly believe this blog is one of the best success stories in independent publishing in recent years, made possible by our brilliant contributors, the hardest working interns and, most importantly, our wonderful readers.

Thanks to you, our job is less like work and more like five days of non-stop fun in a community that talks to us, shares with us and inspires us to be best we can be. Call me a soppy git, but I’ll miss every one of you (yes, even you).

And, because at Christmas time I revert to an excited seven-year-old child who still leaves a mince pie for Santa and carrots for the reindeer (who you judging, kid?), I hope every one of your Christmas wishes come true with love, laughter, health and one helluva lot of goodies under your tree.

So, it’s goodbye from me for now but, in the words of everyone’s favourite Californian Mayor, I’ll be back (or, um, around). I’ll forever be an MFL girl, just in a slightly different guise.

Merry Christmas to you all – here’s hoping 2012 is stuffed with as much style as your turkey is, er, stuffing.

P.S. You can keep up to date with all my ventures in the new year by following me on Twitter @emmaleigho. Tweet you there!