'Tis the season: so long 2012.

• Author: Harrington, Susan
• Position: FROM THE EDITOR - Editorial

Holiday parties abound in December, and we've seen a growing trend for a couple of months now. I guess you could say we started on the first Wednesday of October with our famous Top 49ers Awards luncheon. By the last Friday of October we were at Golder's annual chili feed. I've never tasted so many different kinds of chili in my life, or known there were so many different recipes. I learned that not only do the folks at Golder Associates know how to make chili, they know how to throw a party-as do many other firms in Alaska. Among luncheons, receptions, open houses, retirement parties, dinners, charity balls and fiat out holiday parties, there's hardly time for work. Enjoy as many as possible this month, because came January we may all be working our way back up from the bottom of the ravine after falling off the fiscal cliff.

As we go to press for the December issue we wrap up another year of Alaska Business Monthly, and what a great year this has been. In the spirit of changing things up, we've moved the Conventions, Meetings and Corporate Travel special section to December, complete with an extensive directory to go with the articles.

We're happy to present our second annual Philanthropy in Alaska special section this month, opening with an article showing the correlation between philanthropy and business success. It's guest authored by long-time Alaskans...