The December issue of our newsletter, falling a little closely on the heels of our very jam-packed November edition, will by comparison seem a little thin. That's ok. It's making up in advance for a lot of culinary indulgence that the holidays will surely bring.

Speaking of eating, drinking and making merry, we have a story about the holiday party at Enttec HQ in Melbourne . Well, it's not that much of a story, just a little holday card from us to you. Whatever holiday you celebrate at this time of year, you can't help but notice that in the Northern Hemisphere at least, the Winter Solstice seems to bring with it a penchant for rituals that involve light.

Whether it's Christmas Tree lights that twinkle, the world's first "green" oil lamp (8 times more fuel efficient!) or just a sort of acknowledgement that the sun will start to return from its journey lower in the sky, there are photons at the heart of everything people do at this time of year.

And that would be simple enough, and even slightly spiritual in an ecumenical, human-nature kind of way, if gift-shopping and consumerism didn't get mixed up into it all somewhere. I'm not going to lecture anyone about what the true spirit of the holiday is, and risk alienating some merchant somewhere who really needed your custom, but I will say that if you're in the Southern Hemisphere, try to stop by the Rundle Lantern to do your shopping . It may be a far trip from where you are, but if you're ever nearby, go see it. This month's article about the lighting of their new car park facade will explain why . (As if the name Rundle Lantern wasn't poetic justification enough.)

Now if you buy those presents you'll probably want to wrap them. I don't know how you do it, but when we process an order for an Enttec item that one of you has bought, it goes through a process that might seem a little bit like gift-wrapping at first glance. Welcome to our Packaging and Shipping Departments! That's this month's contribution to the focus on our new plant.

Finally, we decided that as 2008 comes to a close it might be nice to do some retrospective round-up work. So here's a quick year in review , some highlights to look back on with smiles.

That's all from here. Please browse the articles that interest you. Until 2009, we wish you, your colleagues, your friends and loved ones a Merry Christmas, Happy Channukah, Joyous Solstice, Yowza Yule, Resplendent Ramadan, Kick-ass Kwanzaa, and Wonderful New Year!

(You Festivus celebrators out there: I know you are there. Don't start.)

Jeremy Kumin ,
Editor and Marketing Manager
ENTTEC U.S