As you might have read, my annual Christmas “letter” has been controversial—both externally and internally. This year, I struggled far less with the choice of whether to do it and much more with the labor and creativity to present 2011 in a new way. For the first time since 2004, I didn’t take a week off work this year; and Crystal and I had no vacations together—not even a long weekend. So, I had to bring alive a year in which Crystal and I both worked a lot (her cumulatively more than me in terms of both days and hours) and didn’t get a lot of pictures together. I decided to entertain with random knowledge, peripheral touches with our social media streams, and as much as possible about the adventures we did find in the margins.
I spent more time on this Christmas letter than on any of the previous ten. And I designed it somewhat in community through a creative group in which I participated this fall. The talented folks in that circle truly did help me create a better product. It’s not perfect; like all projects, it’s not really finished. But this had to get out the door, and outdoors it now is.
The link below downloads the PDF of the piece, and it includes hyperlinks to websites that add texture and context to the stories.
2011 George Christmas Letter
