merry christmas, friends

Photograph by the inimitable Maile Wilson.

WELL, THEN.

The 12 Days of Chookooloonks is officially over. That was a whale of a time, yes? I can't tell you how much I loved discovering all that talent on the web, and sharing it with you. I want to sincerely thank all the incredible artists who helped make this 12-day giveaway such a blast -- their generosity was overwhelming. Every last one of the artists who participated in this little event offered their amazing work while asking for absolutely nothing in return. I'm so grateful to them all.

So for those of you who enjoyed learning about these talented people, please consider giving them the holiday gift of patronizing their sites. Again, no one has asked me to say this, but all of the people who were featured are small businesses, and I'm sure they would appreciate your support of their work. They are:

AnnGeeDee Photography * Bel Kai Designs * Bella Bookmarks * Epiphanie Bags * Gabriela Herman Photography * GWB Design * Igloo Letterpress * Jason Parker Quartet * Jen Lee * Kal Barteski * Katy Keuter * Kelly Rae Roberts * Khristian A. Howell * Kristine Mays * Lara Allee Photography * London vs. Paris * Mondo Beyondo * Sage Brousseau Photography * Superhero Photo * Susannah Conway Photography * The Good Ol' Boy iPhoneography * Your Toy Portrait

And now, to even more important business: you. Thanks to all of you who continue to visit Chookooloonks day after day, sharing your thoughts and comments and encouragement with me. This year has been incredible -- simply incredible. And I'm acutely aware that so much of it -- the travel, the opportunities, the connections -- would never have happened without your sweet spirits and generous support of my work. So thank you. I really cannot express to you how fully grateful I am, but trust me when I tell you I say a prayer of gratitude every night for your kindness.

With your indulgence, I'm going to take a break from blogging for the rest of 2011: I'll be spending my non-blogging time with my family and getting ready for the new year. Also, I'm hoping to cook up lots of new goodness for Chookooloonks when I return, so stay tuned.

And already I know that I can't wait to get back.

With that, happy holidays, everyone. Know that our family is wishing you all the joy, kindness, love and peace the season has to offer.

See you in 2012, friends.