Good evening, S.W.A.G. family!

As we step into the final month of the year, a season filled with wonder, warmth, and just a touch of cosmic magic, it's time to unveil our December S.W.A.G. Challenge. And this month, we're getting festive!

In honor of Christmas and the holiday season, your mission is to create your very own holiday card using your astrophotography. Whether you pull a favorite shot from your archives or bundle up and capture something new this month, the universe is already beautifully decorated — all you have to do is turn it into a card.

The possibilities are endless:
A shimmering Pleiades as twinkling winter lights…
The Christmas Tree Nebula standing tall…
The Orion Nebula glowing like a celestial fireplace…
Or even a bright globular cluster serving as the perfect cosmic tree topper.

Let your creativity soar! Your card can be traditionally Christmas-themed or simply holiday-inspired — whatever brings joy to your cosmic creation.

This month we also have a special holiday-themed badge just for this challenge designed by our very own @Maic ! Feel free to add this festive badge to your cosmic Christmas cards.

And don't forget — when you share your creations, use the hashtag #CosmicChristmas# so we can all celebrate together.

Now, on to an exciting update:
Our S.W.A.G. Meet & Greet is still very much in the works! We are actively exploring options using the group chat itself, as well as looking into platforms like Zoom and Teams. The goal is to pull this off with the least amount of technical gremlins possible — because we all know those little creatures love to show up at the worst times. As we get closer, we'll keep everyone updated right in the chat so you don't miss a thing.

Thank you all for another incredible year of creativity, community, and cosmic wonder. Let's finish 2025 strong with a sky full of stars — and hearts full of holiday cheer.

Now… let the Cosmic Christmas Challenge begin!

And as always...Per Aspera, Ad Astra

Cosmic Christmas: Announcing the December S.W.A.G. Challenge