For this swap, you will be making one (1) zine.
Mini-zines, half-sheet zines, full sheet zines, weirdly folded zines, some format you invented-- are all welcome.

The topic should be something related to this festive season, December, Christmas, Winter Solstice, Hanukkah, New Years, Chinese New Year, whatever other festivity I would likely misspell, or just the weather this time of year, or something you made up. Whatever. If you're making a zine about something that happens between the day after Thanksgiving and the first week of February, you're in the clear.

The zine can be about whatever you want it to be as long as it falls under the theme umbrella listed above. You can tell anecdotes about your celebrations, bitch about the weather, make a comprehensive list of traditions, do a how to on making a cranberry and popcorn garland without it all going to shit, you get the picture.

Why is this Zine "for Jerks"?
Because you have permission to swear and be an asshole in it. You can write about your immense joy of the holidays if you'd like, but you are also more than welcome to create a manifesto about why you think the holidays should be banned or illustrate a comic in which you hunt down every person who ever played a christmas album before Thanksgiving was over.

If you are a cheerful blob of joy who will be simply devastated to receive a zine about how stupid santa's outfit is. This is not your swap.
However, this is also not your swap to bash religion. Say what you want about christmas or other holidays and their origins, feel free to talk about your own religion (or lack there of) but no over the top being hateful.

And no sexy/nude images/drawings either, just to cover my bases there. If you are moping because I just shot down your sexy santa pin up zine, let me know and if the demand arises I will host a separate Holiday Figure Pin Up Zine for any other weirdos out there.

Back on topic:

Zine expectations:

You do not have to be an experienced zinester to join this swap. It is equally ok if this is your first zine or your fiftieth.

Content:
The content needs to be created by you.
This means NO going on google images, copying a handful of pictures and pasting them into your zine. If you use images from a source that is not you, you need to alter the images enough to make them your own. (Cutting a picture of a model out of a magazine and painting over their clothes to give them a new outfit, is ok, for example.)
You can use quotes for songs you like (or other quotes) but they need to be credited.
Over all, at least 66% of the content should be completely original.

Content needs to have thought and effort put into it.
not ok: a mini zine with 6 blurry photos of Christmas lights
great: a minizine with 6 blurry photos of Christmas lights and some sort of commentary or anecdote or caption to go with them. A zine detailing your family's tradition of driving around neighborhood to look at the lights would be awesome.

Technique:
Zine how you want to zine. Digitally, by hand, whatever. The only restriction I am going to put here is no originals. Photocopy it or print it off.
You do not have to be an artist, zines with just text or zines with just art can both be fine. Just put thought and effort into it. (see above)

Small details:
please include somewhere on or in your zine a title, your swapbot name, your email addy and the month/year you made it.

Checklist:

You should rate a 5 if
You receive a zine in some wintery type theme that has effort put into it and original content.
Remember that not everyone has the same skill level or style.

Housekeeping

to join please:
be in the USA
have no ones owed to active members
have a 4.96+ rating
have 10 completed and rated type 2 or 3 swaps
do not be a picky butthead

if you have an extraordinary circumstance regarding an unfair rating or whatever pm me before you sign up and we can discuss. If you ask nicely and have a well filled out profile I will probably do a private version with any newbie who doesn't make the cut.
Blindly joining and hoping I won't notice does not earn you any friends.