Ken, my printmaking teacher, used to stock up on canned goods in early December, so he could lay low until the holiday frenzy blew over. I thought it was brilliant. Exposure to Adbusters, anti-consumerist punk ethos and St. Nicholas’ makeover at formative ages made sitting out of Christmas feel cool (and at least a little morally superior).

This year, though, I went for it—and I ended up engaging in the kind of crafty, modest home projects that I think accounts for part of Christmas’ appeal: to get excited and make things, to be creative, to express generosity and gratitude. Projects included stockings (two people can be a family, too!) and preparators’ mini tool aprons for some of the outstanding colleagues I’ve had the pleasure of learning from this year.

I also finished the poster for Southern Exposure‘s upcoming exhibition, a series of four solo projects by Mike Lai, Genevive Quick, Lacey Jane Roberts and Andy Vogt. I had a great time exploring typography and printing with fluorescent inks in collaboration with SoEx, and am quite pleased with the result. Most importantly, SoEx liked it, and two of the artists have told me they were happy with it as well.