Oh Christmas, a season of red and green (which obviously look totally great together being both fashionable and flattering), egg nog (delicious despite its snot-like texture), evergreen trees strung up with lights and stockings hung over an open fire place (all implying we just love our friends and families enough to expose them to massive fire risks annually), and the same songs played over and over and over and over for a month straight (pushing us all to the brink of mental breakdown).

But let’s all take a big sigh of relief that the season is nearly at an end. No more explaining to your relatives how the creative field you’ve chosen really does amount to a lucrative career and wondering if the jump from your second-floor childhood bedroom will break your leg or just amount to a sore ankle (hey — what’s a little bruise when there’s a chance you could sneak out for a cigarette?). All that’s left now is battling the hordes of people going back and figuring out how/where to spend New Year’s Eve — oh shit, where is the best party?

But in all honesty, the best gift of all this year was the appreciation from our readers and the enthusiasm from our growing team of contributors. I have so much hope for the coming year and can’t wait to comb the streets of New York seeking out the artists that make today’s culture so amazing.

Merry Fucking Christmas!

xo
Jess

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photograph: David Burlacu