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‘Tis the season and ‘tis the profession to look forward. To let old acquaintances be forgot along with technology that’s more than 15 minutes old and ideas that got 3 million hits on YouTube last month. Let’s face it, this time of year fits well with the mindset of our industry. One that’s driven by what’s just around the corner, whether it’s the next campaign, the next pitch or the next big thing. And I not only understand but embrace this mindset as, well, it completely mirrors my own.

I have a feeling advertising attracts people who have trouble standing still for a few minutes, much less getting satisfaction out of their accomplishments. But while I’m already spending a good 90 percent of my energy on what lies ahead in the first month of 2012, I am forcing myself to spend a moment to look back and think of all the cool stuff that took place in the last 12 months. And, no matter how foreign this idea is, I urge you to do the same.

Here is the latest Crandall family holiday card installment in a tradition that started 19 years ago. View the backup on courtcrandall.com. By the way, those are Depends™ we’re rocking (in the backup image on my site) even though they look like my grandmother’s panties. Not that I’ve, you know, seen my grandmother’s panties. Which card do you prefer?

When we look back at 2011, many will remember it as the year of the Occupy Movement, as the representation for the 99% found their voice, aiming to bring about change by influencing the controls of economic wealth and political power.

Meanwhile, earlier in the year, Professor Michael E. Porter of Harvard University published a paper in Harvard Business Review entitled “Creating Shared Value.” His writing focused on the redefinition of capitalism in order to create a value model where both economic and societal benefit is generated.

What each of these examples potently illustrate is the real power of our cultural values in society and how the foundations of capitalism, democracy, and consumerism are being profoundly redefined.

Alone or together, individuals defined 2011. Bing's Magical Holiday Calendar takes a look at those decisions in today's Bing Rewind. Don't forget to pay extra attention around minute 1:47. You just might see a familiar face in Allan Guei, the winner of "Free Throw" who gave his $40,000 scholarship away to the other contestants after receiving a full-ride scholarship of his own.

I was going through some old work this week for one of our new pitches and I came across a spot I hadn’t watched in a while. It was for the California Department of Health Services anti-tobacco initiative. And it was inauspiciously named, “Bubbles 2.”

Of all the spots I’ve been part of, this is maybe the one that means the most to me.

Not because it was the best. Don’t get me wrong, I always liked the original spot, entitled, “Bubbles,” simply because it was the only positive anti-tobacco ad I’ve ever seen, much less been part of. Like most sequels, "Bubbles 2" had a little more action. A few more locations. And a bigger ending. But that’s not what made it remarkable. What made it special, was the fact that it was written by my friend and art director, Shawn Brown. Without the use of his arms or legs.

While the debate rages over the ethics of retailers bringing forward their Black Friday opening times to midnight on Thanksgiving, it's worth remembering that retailers and shopping have long played an integral role in our holiday traditions, so why should this latest change be seen as any different?

In 1939, retailers put pressure on President Franklin D. Roosevelt to move Thanksgiving forward one week in order to give retailing a boost, by extending the holiday season selling window in the wake of the Great Depression.