I hope if you’re visiting the site today, you’re doing so around friends, family or other loved ones, and if you’re not, go find some loved ones and hang out with them. Today’s comic is the last one you’ll see this year–I’m going to take about a week and a half to enjoy the holidays and recharge my creative batteries, so you’ll see George back here on the first Monday in January. That’s not to say there won’t be some new content until then, however–come back next week for a rundown of my 10 favorite George strips from 2009, and on New Year’s Day I’ll be announcing the winner of December’s sketch contest. You can still be entered in the drawing to win a free George sketch just by leaving a comment on a comic or blog post! Don’t worry, if you miss the December deadline, you can always enter next month’s drawing.

I want to take a special moment to thank every single one of my readers. It means a lot to me that you make this comic of mine part of your rotation. May your Christmas and New Year’s be the best ones until the next!

Okay! It’s official! You can download the 2009 George Christmas wallpaper in a ton of different sizes to accommodate your monitor resolution. I don’t mean to toot my own horn here, but I’m particularly pleased with this wallpaper. I think it’s my favorite thing I’ve done so far, and a great way to close out 2009. Go check it out!

I’m happy to announce the winner of November’s George sketch drawing! Carrie, who draws the comic Dam Beavers, wins a free sketch of the George character of her choice. Remember, you can be entered in the monthly drawing by just commenting on a comic or blog post! And if you’re really impatient, remember you can always buy a sketch for a measly six dollars. Congratulations, Carrie!

You can enjoy free shipping plus guaranteed holiday delivery on George t-shirts if you order at least $35 worth by Wednesday, Dec 9th! Use the coupon code SHIP1 to take advantage of the deal!

In an effort to get the ball rolling on the George Facebook fan page, I’m going to give away a special free goodie to a random fan once the page has 50 fans! I haven’t quite decided on what I’m going to give away, but I’m leaning towards perhaps a full-color, handmade George trading card. If not that, then maybe a t-shirt or mug from the George store. In any case, we’re only a little more than halfway to the 50-fan goal right now, so please help spread the word and recruit some friends to join! I plan on having regular giveaways on the fan page as I do with the monthly sketch drawings here, so joining up means you might score yourself some free George memorabilia in the future.