May this carol by 17th-century poet Robert Herrick (1591-1674) bring you a newfound joy, just as I get whenever I stand in front of the butterfly stained glass window that my grandmother commissioned for our church. She lead an effort to restore and refurnish the rooms surrounding the sanctuary... a dream that even after her passing was completed with splendid taste and care. Wishing each of you, near and far, the best and brightest of the season!

"A Christmas Carol, Sung to the King in the Presence at White-Hall"

Dark and dull night, fly hence away, and give the honour to this Day, that sees December turned to May. If we may ask the reason, say the why and wherefore all things here seem like the Spring-time of the year? Why does chilling Winter's morn smile like a field beset with corn? Or smell like to a Mead new-shorn, thus, on the sudden?

Come and see the cause, why things thus fragrant be: 'tis He is born, whose quickening birth gives life and luster, public mirth, to Heaven and the under-Earth. We see Him come and know him ours, who, with His sunshine and His showers turns all the patient ground to flowers.

The darling of the world is come and fit it is, we find a room to welcome Him. The nobler part of all the house here, is the heart. Which we will give Him, and bequeath the Holly, and this Ivy wreath, to do Him honour, who's our King, and Lord of all this reveling.

Chances are you haven't experienced a family weekend quite like everything that went down on October 10-11 in Flagler Beach, Florida. The Tommy Tant Memorial Surf Classic goes far beyond what the name implies. Since its inception ten years ago, surfers have gathered to ride the waves in friendly competition to remember the beautiful life of one of their own, Tommy Tant. The entire local community rallies around the surf contest, along with Tommy's parents, Tom and Barbara, and his brother, Will. But it doesn't stop there.

Surfers, artists, musicians, photographers, and non-profit organizations come from around the world to be a part of the weekend, each bringing their own unique contributions: murals, concerts, cold drinks, hand-painted hats, film screenings, beach wear, silent auctions, dinner parties, and a million smiles. All proceeds benefit the Tommy Tant Scholarship Fund, which supports surfers and volunteers going to school; donations are also given to Flagler County food pantries, helping families put food on their tables.

I've had the honor of working alongside Will and his family for the past year to produce the marketing materials and website for the 2009 event. Over the past few years, the Tommy Tant has become as much a meaningful reunion and tradition for me as Thanksgiving or Christmas, primarily because of our family (a merry band of misfits) that gathers around the Tants each year. Colorado meets Outer Banks meets Wales meets New York meets South Africa meets Central Florida. My buddy Matt Katsolis produced this video and made this poignant comment to Surfline about filming the paddle-out ceremony in memory of Tommy Tant:

"As the circle opened up to let me in and then enclosed around me I was suddenly surrounded by my closest friends... all smiling and shouting my name so happy to see me. And this gave me a glimpse of what heaven must be like."

At the end of the weekend, Will stepped up to the mic, thanked everyone for being a part of this amazing family, and shared a closing thought from 1 Corinthians: "And now these three remain... faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."

What's that in my hand? It's the new Photojojo Book... insanely great photo projects and DIY ideas! This book is the brainchild of my friends Amit Gupta and Kelly Jensen, and is packed with activities... from snowglobes and rubik's cubes to dogcams and photo cupcakes. It's beautifully printed, written like the very best Photojojo Newsletters, and featuring some pretty sweet photos across the Flickrsphere.

Once upon a time, Photojojo was merely an email newsletter with 20,000 subscribers. But over the past three years, the family of photo project lovers has grown by leaps and bounds... inspiring Amit to seek out Random House/Potter Craft and transform their famous do-it-yourself projects into a full-color published book, brimming with awesomeness.

So if you need more incentive to buy one: this classic photo I took of my buddy Ian (hanging out at Dave & Buster's for his birthday) is part of the Make a Photo Chandelier activity. And to celebrate the new book, I did a mini photoshoot with my friend Gareth Paul Cox on a rooftop in Sunset Park, Brooklyn... it was a windy day! Either that or this book is going to be so popular it won't stay in my hands...

What are you waiting for? Get a copy of Photojojo and start doing something with your photos!