The Funniest Christmas Story of All Time
Plus, a round up of my first year on Substack
This is the last Missive of 2022.
Since starting this project six months ago, I have been consistently overjoyed with the support I’ve received from my readers. So I want to start by thanking you for subscribing, especially those who are supporting my work by upgrading to paid subscriptions.
And a special shout out to those of you who generously became founding members: Abe Lopez, Beatriz Bolton, Steve Cavenaugh, Tay Wall, Ethan Davis, Silvie Lav, and Michael Self. I could not be doing this without your patronage!
After six months of hard work to get this project off the ground, I’m grateful to have a couple of weeks of holidays before picking up in 2023. I’ll be traveling for the next six weeks but wanted to wrap up 2022 with a few conclusions from our debut year.
PS: Scroll to the bottom for the new date and time of our book club discussion for The White Tiger.
From Travel Tips to Digital Nomadism
The most surprising takeaway from this year has been the popularity of my pieces on digital nomads, remote work and the attendant controversy in Mexico City.
I intended this newsletter to be more of a weekly roundup of global culture. Instead I found a major world story coming straight to my doorstep.
I am not a remote worker and do not consider myself a digital nomad. But having spent over a decade traveling the world and making a living around the world from my laptop and cell phone, I have some experience to draw from.
I originally got into travel journalism out of a desire to bring the world together in the wake of 9/11. I felt like Americans needed to see more of the world to combat a rise in widespread prejudice and militarism, and I felt storytelling could inspire that.
Twenty years later, the world is a very different place. The intersection of remote work, social media, and globalization has created a flood of newly-mobile, highly paid remote workers. Now the problem isn’t too few people traveling - it’s too many people going to too few places.
My core message of promoting conscious travel is still relevant today. But alone, it can sound trite or even apologetic. To have a full, robust conversation, I must also draw on my educational background in globalization, my roots in development economics, and experience as creator on our ever-changing social media platforms.
The Missive’s readers hail from around the world, but I’ve also noticed a large surge in traffic from here in Mexico City. I have struggled to find the precise balance between local and global coverage so as not to alienate one audience over the other.
Therefore I’m constantly trying to translate what I witness here in CDMX into more universal conclusions about how the remote work revolution is changing the face of travel - and the countless places it touches. And I do believe that the controversy here in Mexico City is just a harbinger of more conflict to come - and a testing grounds for solutions that might solve the global issues of inequality, migration, and more.
To complement this, our monthly book club continues its journey around the world. So far we’ve read books from Lebanon, Colombia, the US, and India. I intend to continue selecting must-read books from a diverse array of writers and settings. And I’ve noticed an unintentional theme emerging from our books - migration.
I’ve long believed that the cosmopolitan jet-setter is inextricably linked to the refugee. One travels because he can, the other because she must. These two seeming opposite travelers are inextricably linked by our global system that rewards the privileged few with hyper-mobility while forcing the dispossessed to search for a new home.
I’m excited to explore these issues and more here on Substack. And I’m already reaching out to thought leaders around the globe to interview in 2023. If you have someone who you would like me to interview, comment below.
I’ve also launched a new chat on the Substack App where you can request articles or ask me questions directly. What should I write about? Who should I interview? What do you want to know about me? Click the button below to join the chat on the app.
ICYMI, below you’ll find the five articles I wrote about the issue of remote worker gentrification. At the bottom is book club update and a funny story to end the year.
ATTN: Book Club Date Moved
As many of us are on vacation for the rest of the year, I’ve decided to push back the book club discussion for The White Tiger until after the New Year to accommodate those of us who are taking a break from screen time over the holidays.
The new date for The White Tiger discussion is Thursday January 5th at 3PM California Time. Zoom details for paying subscribers below the paywall.
That gives you an extra week to finish the book - or just watch the film on Netflix ; )
And I will send out next month’s book club recommendation shortly after the new year - and it’s going to be one that will help us to glean some insights on the future.
Any guesses on where I’m traveling or what we’re reading next? Comment below!
Finally, A Laugh
I’ll leave you with a recording of perhaps the funniest Christmas story ever written - The Santa Diaries, the story that launched writer David Sedaris to fame when it was played on NPR’s Morning Edition in 1992.
Hearing him talk about working the holidays as a grumpy Christmas elf at the Macy’s store in New York is guaranteed to put a smile on your face - even if Sedaris reportedly hates the piece that made him famous.
(Perhaps some of the language hasn’t aged that well, but it remains a classic.)
Enjoy, and I’ll see you in the new year!
Happy Holidays,
Marko
The White Tiger Book Club Discussion
Date: Thursday January 5th
Time: 3PM LAX // 5PM CDMX // 6PM NYC // Midnight London
Zoom Link: Upgrade to a paid subscription to access details below
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to The Missive to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.