So anyone and everyone who knows me knows I am terrible at keeping secrets when it involves gifts for my friends.

Birthday gifts get spoiled often. Christmas gifts do, too. Any gift. In fact, my version of giving gifts usually involves, "HEY SO AND SO, I GOT YOU A PRESENT TODAY, IT IS A ____."

Sigh!

Well, this year, I was extra good. See, I have been planning this gift since October. And I did not spoil a single thing. Not even my wife knows about this. And now that it is Christmas Eve, it is time for me to share.... THE GIFT OF ART ❤️

So I approached about this a few months ago, when she posted on Tumblr about doing commissions. She has been so absolutely fantastic through this entire thing - including not sending me the last picture until tonight just so I wouldn't give away the surprise. Thank you, Alex ❤️. And if any of you get the chance to commission her, you need to. She is awesome.

To Alana, I know you are only friends with me for my art, but you will have to settle for art by another user this time. So really, before the past year or so, you and I didn't know each other very well. I'm glad that you following me on Tumblr, of all places, is what brought us together - that and my wife (?) or whatever. Now you are one of my most awesome friends, and any day I don't talk to you I'm like WHERE IS ALANA BANANA I AM SAD AND CONFUSED??

You don't have OCs, cause you suck, so I had to dig up your awesome dwarf-self HA and get that done for you, cause this is basically who you are to me. CONGRATS YOU ARE BASICALLY LIVIN' THE DREAM VICARIOUSLY THROUGH ME.

To In some ways, you were the only one who was "spoiled" by this, since you helped me figure out what to get for Alana and then I showed you hers - but I think you'll still be pretty surprised, since I showed you Alana's back in October and never mentioned anything else ;) JOKE'S ON YOU, ENJOY.

If someone had asked me two years ago if I'd be such good friends with you, I probably would have laughed. And yet, it's not really any surprise at all that our mutual love of pets brought us together - like we always knew it would! I'm so very happy to know you and call you my dear friend, and I'm so happy for you and your ever-growing family, my dear! ❤️

To Hahaha your character broke up what was turning into quite a lady-fest here, SO THANK YOU FOR THAT?? Remember when I sneakily asked you about him? Yeah. I couldn't resist getting you art of his awesome design!

Larissa, you are my favorite, and I love you to pieces. You are so encouraging to me every single day, and there's so many things I've been able to accomplish this year because of you. Thank you for always being there for me, and just for being such an awesome friend in general!

To LOOK, THIS IS HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU. You won't give me Carolyn but I still got you fanart of her. I AM SUCH A GOOD FRIEND Y/Y

Meeting you this year in LA was an absolutely AMAZING experience. Finally getting to hang out with you and give you a big hug and go to Chili's and the Aquarium with you?! omg. Also a wedding, that was cool too. But seriously, it was so awesome, and I cannot wait to see you when we go to New York and get to hang out with you again.

To I love you Jess, you are so so so so awesome. Seriously my go-to-girl when I need a laugh or encouragement or to bitch about something stupid. I'm so lucky to have you and Nina be only a few hours away, so I can go to Vancouver and hang out and get poutine and see one of my favorite people ♥

To Tissa, what do I even say? I have gotten sappy at you so many times in the past year, you probably don't want to hear it again. OH WELL. You are seriously one of the most amazing, wonderful people I have ever met. You are kind and smart and completely selfless, so giving and caring, with such an open heart. You are always there for me, even at 3 AM when I text you, and you laugh at all my stupid puns. I had so much fun with you in San Francisco this summer, and I cannotw ait to see you in New York, and see you here in Seattle, and anywhere else we choose to go together. ❤️ I am so lucky to have you as a best friend!

To So I had to get you some art of CeCe, and was awesome enough to get this drawn up for you! You know how excited I was about you getting to keep CeCe, so I had to celebrate it in the form of art. Also cat. And like Amanda, meetng you at your wedding was amazing. I only wish we could have hung out more (but I understand why we couldn't, obviously!). Thank you for not laughing at me for crying at your bachelorette party when I realized we'd bought the wrong plane tickets, and I'm so proud of you for everything you accomplished this past year!

To When I ordered my overlay of Fran from , I sMailed them to ask for a second secret commission ;) And who is more fun to get art of than Mangler, the best pug squisher in the world?

Even if it was brief, I'm really glad we finally got the chance to hang out with you and Derek again this year. It felt like old times, sitting on that comfy grey couch, playing video games, eating good food (god I seriously talk about that Szechuan place you took us to all the time and how I want more SO DELICIOUS even if we didn't get any green beans) and just hanging out chatting. It really makes me wish we still lived just a 3 hour drive away, but we'll just have to use it as an excuse to come to California more often (and go to Chili's. Darn).

And last but absolutely not least... To (...and myself. cause you know. I DESERVED IT)

Hahhaha you probably thought I forgot you, huh? YOU'D BE WRONG THEN WOULDN'T YOU? Of course had to draw our babbies, especially since they are super cute in Alex's style (THANK YOU ALEX). You are the best wife ever, and I am so happy that we have been together for over nine years and married for five and legally married for one YAY. I love you very much ❤️

To all of my amazing friends, thank you so much for making every single day of my life just that much more amazing and wonderful.

Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, and I love you all!

OMG HOW DID YOU KEEP THAT A SECRET FROM -ME-?? WE LIVE IN THE SAME PLACE UGH.

omg our babies look how freaking cute they are ahhhhhh ;___; , they are adorable and I love them and I love you, thank you!

JESSI THANK YOUUUU i love you and you are the best bean and wahhh ;o; Everyone else's art is so cute too! HAPPY WHATEVER TO EVERYONE ❤️

I ALREADY FREAKED OUT AT YOU but I feel the need to PUBLICLY EXPRESS HOW MUCH I APPRECIATE YOU, CRY ;-;

YOU TOO , THANK YOU FOR THIS LOVELY PIECE OF ARTWORK, both of you are people to be cherished skjfklkgg

Thank you, thank you, what a lovely, amazing surprise!

holy jebus!! Erm, that might have been an inappropriate sentiment... (therefore it was appropriate for me to say?) This is soooooo sweet and so great to come online to! ;_; My little spidermutant, so huggyyyy... the wagging tail...!! It's just perfect. So amazingly perfect. Thank you so much!! I can't remotely compete with something so fantastic, aaah too good! =D (And to -- the best! I love it! love love love)

SLDKFJSLDFfldsdlkf okay so please bear with me right now, we just arrived in Florida at literally two in the morning and I had to heavily (very heavily x__x) sedate myself to not panic on the flight so I'm a little dopey at the moment. I can make words, I swear! Some words. Short words.

I've had like the shittiest week ever and seeing this is like AAAAH YAAAAAY HAPPINESS IS A THING THAT I CAN HAVE AGAIN. Holy crap you = the bees knees.

Jessibum, you are like the best? ever??? I'm so glad that we got to know each other, because you've become one of my closest friends and you mean a ton to me. I LOVE YOU IN A HETEROSEXUAL WAY and okay maybe a bit in a homosexual way too SORRY WIFE (?) OR WHATEVER

You are excellent and this art is excellent and excellent is hard to spell right now but I love you a ton and thank you so much.

AHAHAHAAKSJDHSKJFHD i am dead rn i cant believe you got me art of carolyn AND KEPT IT HIDDEN ALL THE WAY TO NOW I AM SO PROUD :') omg girl i love it and i love you and i cANT WAIT TO SEE YOU IN LIKE a couple weeks??? you will be here?? IN MY AREA??? ugh its going to be so much fun so much chilis and fish and i promise not to change the date of my wedding and not tell you ❤

I AM SO GLAD YOU GUYS LIKE YOUR ART ❤️ All five of you lovely ladies are so awesome and I am seriously SO lucky to have so many wonderful friends in my life ❤️❤️

ALSO I AM AN ASSHOLE BECAUSE I COMPLETELY FORGOT SOMEONE LAST NIGHT AND DIDN'T REALIZE IT TIL THIS MORNING SOB

I DIDN'T MEAN TO FORGET YOU I'M NOT SURE HOW IT HAPPENED CAUSE YOU WERE DEFINITELY IN THAT ORIGINAL BATCH HERE HAVE SOME ART NOW SHUT UP

jkjk I love you Jess, you are so so so so awesome. Seriously my go-to-girl when I need a laugh or encouragement or to bitch about something stupid. I'm so lucky to have you and Nina be only a few hours away, so I can go to Vancouver and hang out and get poutine and see one of my favorite people ❤️

AUUUUUUGH YOU ARE THE WORST I CAN'T HANDLE YOU. I AM GOING TO SELL YOU

God you did such a beautiful job. I hardly ever get art, and never of Scarlet, and she looks so cool I am very happy ur da best around nothing's ever gonna keep you down

I AM LIKE A VIBRATING SUPERNOVA OF EXCITEMENT RIGHT NOW

Just make sure you clean up that pile of piddle before I come visit next time cause ew :<

jkjk I LOVE YOU I am so glad you like it ❤️ you are the second best Jess I know (ohoho)

ASKJDKLASKJ I'M SO HAPPY EVERYONE LIKES THEIR ART YOU GUYS ARE TOO SWEET ;U; everyone had such fun characters to draw, I'm so glad Jessi wanted me to draw them all for you :'D

I hope all of your holidays are great too (especially you !) ❤

- * casually pops onto Subeta at 3AM in the morning in the middle of feeding Dale * * Looks at ping and thread title * * Boggles and attempts to shove tit back into baby's face while boggling *

That was the sequence of events this morning! I finally got time to form a proper reply: Thank you so very much for the beautiful artwork of Syni! I appreciate our friendship more than I can ever articulate into words. It seems that the people are sometimes start off on the wrong foot with, end up being someone important in my life. So, thank you for being there for me, and letting me bounce ideas off you for pets! <3

- You did a beautiful job with Syni! Thank you so much! I absolutely love her pose and how she's interacting with her bubbles! <3

OMG, THAT ART IS FABULOUS! IT'S EDELIN TO A T. :o

I do remember that conversation! I thought we were just sharing characters. xD You're so sneaky! Thank you for the wonderful gift, dear. I'm so glad we're friends. You really encourage me all the time to do better, just by being yourself. I love you, bb! ❤