This is an Eval Central archive copy, find the original at freshspectrum.com.
Are you looking for data and evaluation cartoons this holiday season? In this post I’ve pulled together all my Christmas and other holiday cartoons/comics I’ve drawn from across the years. With new cartoons added annually!
Comics from 2023
Power BI and Elves
Of course the elves don’t like PowerBI, but Santa paid a lot for that Office 365 subscription, so like or not…
Intentional Christmas Lighting
Anyone being more intentional in their Christmas tree lighting?
Baking Fidelity
Who needs logic models when you have Christmas magic?
I think it would be really hard to be an evaluator at the North Pole.
Tiny Font One-Pager
I debated using “Christmas Magic” as the way Santa would read the list. But cryogenic transmission electron microscope just felt right at the time.
Comics from 2022
Zero Carbon Santa
I wonder what Santa could use instead of coal.
Inbox Zero
Santa probably gets a lot of emails. But I doubt he’s the one reading them all. Some elf probably has that responsibility…
Ugly Sweater Contest
There was an ugly sweater contest at my office last week. I forgot about it but went to work wearing a sweater. The sweater wasn’t ugly, but it did inspire this cartoon.
Day Rate
When I talk to other indie consultants, especially new ones, my key piece of advice is that your hourly or daily rate doesn’t really matter. Budgets matter a lot more.
Take reindeer for example, they only one day a year. They might get a really good rate for that one day, but is it enough to keep them in reindeer food and shelter for the remaining 364.
Logic model is a little too simple.
Trying to think of evaluation stuff I haven’t talked about during past holidays. This one is based on the idea that a lame logic model can lead to a lame evaluation. Also, these are elves, but I think we’re a little too zoomed in for that to be noticeable.
Annual Reports
Do you think Santa makes the elves deliver a year end annual report? Seems like it would be a little bit of stressful deadline to me.
Comics from 2021
2020 2021 2022 Resolutions
I remember when the year started. Sure 2020 was a bust with COVID and all, but surely 2021 would be better…right?
So naive.
If you didn’t feel super productive or accomplished this past year, don’t worry. You are in good company with all the rest of us.
Elfing from Home
You know if Santa allowed remote work we would see more elves around. Wonder if they are also part of the “great resignation.”
Dissemination Magic
Every time a bell rings, a stakeholder reads your report.
Pot Luck Needs Assessment
I drew this cartoon even though I’m not sure if anyone is really potlucking these days. I still avoid any situation with unmasked non-family members. And everyone bringing a dish, yikes!
RCT Christmas
It’s too easy to pick on RCTs.
Ghost Downsizing
Did you know that instead of spirits, Dickens first draft of a Christmas Carol featured three evaluators?
Superspreader Christmas
Toyed with drawing a cartoon about Santa being high risk for COVID. You know given his weight, age, and habit of bingeing on cookies and milk.
It’s Christmastime in our household, so that means it’s time to switch from the unending string of professional Zoom calls to the somewhat smaller stream of extended family Facetime calls.
Zoom around the North Pole
But just because it’s the holidays, it doesn’t mean we get to take off our evaluator hats. I’ve come to believe that no matter what I call myself professionally (information designer, web designer, data analyst, President and CEO, solopreneur), I will always be an evaluator on the inside.
It’s more a way of life than a profession. A path that likely began far before you even heard of the profession.
Santa Satisfaction Survey
The trick is to not annoy too many of your family and friends with your evaluator-ness. Like perhaps when you notice a significant other not following a recipe with fidelity, just let it go.
Cookie Recipe Fidelity
But there are certainly times when you can really embrace your evaluation side. For instance, maybe your extended family drives you a little crazy. Take back your holiday with the support of a nice new theory of change.
Happy Christmas Theory of Change
Of course, this post is showing up in your email inbox a little late for this winter holiday season. Christmas is here. Kwanzaa and New Year’s will be here shortly. The Winter Solstice, Hanukkah, and Diwali have already come and gone.
Hopefully some of you were on the ball and have already administered your holiday pretests. How else are you going to be able to accurately identify any measurable increase in holiday cheer?
Holiday Pretest
Comics from 2020
Presents are Outputs
This is a cartoon I redrew in 2019 from an earlier iteration. Not sure it ever made it into a post.
Christmas Tree Chart
I believe this chart type may be a default in Excel.
Virtual Christmas
This cartoon is probably a good representation of my headspace last Christmas.
When PJs are Business Casual
I live in NC, we don’t have enough snow days.
Virtual Snow Day
I loved snow days as a kid in Maryland. And when everything was switching to virtual, the idea of snow not stopping school just sounded wrong.
Comics from 2018
We all know why the grinch really hated Christmas.
Did you know that It’s a Wonderful Life is an evaluation story?
What is the true impact of Christmas?
Alexa at Christmas
If Charlie Brown were an Evaluator
Comics from 2017
But what are our goals here?
The meaning we get from the holiday season relies almost entirely on our expectations and the context within which we live. Maybe we just need the right goal.
Christmas is about money.
For some people and businesses, Christmas is a prime commercial opportunity. No matter how many TV Christmas specials try to counter this theme, we live in a time where decorations start going up in storefront windows around halloween.
And not because the shopping centers are just full of the holiday spirit.
Christmas is about making a political statement.
Until recently, wishing merriment around Christmas was mostly just a kind thing to do.
Happy Holidays, the thing we say when we don’t know whether the person we are talking to celebrates Christmas, is seen as a counter argument to Merry Christmas. Making every greeting a political statement.
Christmas is about spending time with family.
For many of us, the holidays are about spending time together with your small family, big family, extended family, or family of friends. Depending on who you are, and the family you celebrate with, this could be a hugely positive thing or one filled with obligation and dread. And maybe it’s both.
Christmas is about giving.
Whether it’s gifts, money, or time, Christmas is a season that puts people in a giving mood. Yes, if you so choose, Christmas can totally be about presents.
Comics from 2016
A little stats humor.
A randomista Christmas?
Holiday retrofitting.
The right gift for that person who has everything.
Keep Christmas Funded!
Yes, I am creeped out by the Elf on the Shelf, why do you ask?
Children with Her
Black Friday Inflation
Target Audience = Santa
It’s the outcomes that matter.
Some clients from Christmas
Comics from 2014
This kind of cartoon post happens when you’re writing about data visualization in front of a Christmas tree.
An Infographic to Santa
Santa’s naughty list dashboard
Dataviz Sweater Party
Comics from 2013
Comics from the Early Years (Dates Unknown)
This one is from my Redbubble shop, I created it years ago 
Bonus: An Evaluation Christmas Carol (2016)
Evan Scott’s day started just like most other days.
At his desk, staring at a clogged email inbox and a stack of papers filled with things that somehow or another needed his attention.
If he had known just how much paperwork was involved he might have ignored his desires to devote a career towards helping others.
Suddenly there was a knock at the door.
“Evan, you busy?”
It was his second in command, Bo Cratchet. She had been with him when he was first pushing the idea for this grant funded non-profit. Now as project manager she knew much more about the project than he did.
“Yes Bo, always busy, but what can I do for you?”
Bo looked a little sheepish, she had something to say but knew it wouldn’t go over well.
“There are a couple of dashboard developers here. They’re close friends with my best project assistant and have a few ideas on how we can improve our data collection and analysis.”
Evaluation again.
Didn’t Bo see the stack of papers on Evan’s desk? She knew the deadlines they were up against better than anyone. Who has time for evaluation!
Bo didn’t wait for an answer, seeing Evan’s face she quickly changed the topic.
“Justine Marley’s also here. She said she knows you, should I send her in?”
Evan nodded.
With that Bo turned, closed the door, and headed back out to the main office.
Evan hadn’t seen Justine for years. He met her as he was just getting started on his grant proposal, Justine was at the time in the final year of her grant.
“Evan, I’m here to warn you.”
“Warn me, about what?”
“It’s your funding Evan, you’re at risk of losing it and everything you’ve built here if you don’t take your evaluation more seriously.”
“But it’s only year two, there are still three years, that’s plenty of time to worry about evaluation.”
Justine, nodded.
“I thought that too Evan, but trust me, it’s not as long as you think. And the longer you wait, the harder it gets to actually collect accurate data and analyze it appropriately.”
***
That night as Evan Scott readied himself for bed, he couldn’t help but think about Justine’s warning. “What if she was right?”
“Bah humbug he thought, there’s still time.”
Closing his eyes Evan drifted off to sleep.
***
*Crash*
“What was that,” Evan jumped out of bed.
All of a sudden a figured emerged into his room.
“Hello Evan, I am the spirit of evaluation past. I am here to show you what was.”
With that the spirit whisked Evan away to a moment in time that seemed like ages ago. There he was, sitting at a table alongside Professor Fizziwig.
“Why it’s our initial evaluation planning session, and there is old Professor Fizziwig. He was one of the most influential figures in our initial project design. He helped us develop a plan that was systematic, outcome-based, and measurable.” Evan remembered the wisdom of the old professor fondly.
“You were so filled with hope and optimism at that time in your program’s development. But what happened to that evaluation plan? The moment you hit the least bit of resistance it was abandoned. You didn’t even bother to call Professor Fizziwig to see if he could help you adapt the plan for the new realities.”
“Tonight you will be visited by two more spirits. Listen to them Evan, your program is not yet lost. There is still hope.” And with that the spirit was gone.
***
The next spirit who arrived introduced herself as the spirit of evaluation present.
“Come with me Evan.”
The spirit took Evan to a small board room. Crowded around the table were some of the most important figures in the local community.
In front of the room was a young man, presenting in front of a power point deck.
“Spirit, who is that young man?”
“Why it’s tiny Jim, Bo Cratchet’s favorite project assistant. He has recently taken on the role of evaluator.”
“But what is it that he’s presenting? It’s a small chart with hardly any data?”
“But don’t you remember Evan. You haven’t committed the resources towards any type of evaluation. Poor Evan has meetings like this on a regular basis. Trying to justify the importance of the program without anything to support his claims.”
“He believes in your program Evan. He knows it works, but try telling that to this room. They will only trust the gut of a program assistant for so long.”
***
All of a sudden the spirit of evaluation present was gone.
In walked another spirit, “hello Evan, I am the spirit of evaluation future. Let me show you the mark you’ve made on the community. At least if things keep going as they have.”
The spirit transported Evan to the location of one of his program’s top sites.
But the site was empty, a closed sign hanging on the door.
“Where is everyone spirit?”
“They are gone. Your program lost its funding, there is nothing for them here anymore.”
“Bo Cratchet? Tiny Jim? What has happened to them?”
“Looking for new work I’m afraid. Tiny Jim is considering law school or business school. His time as a project assistant was tough, he’s decided to move away from the nonprofit sector.”
“And the program itself, has it spun off into a new implementation elsewhere?”
“I’m afraid not. There was no good evaluation data to prove that it worked. The lessons learned were inadequately disseminated in long reports that nobody will bother to read. It’s as if your project never existed.”
“No spirit! Say there is still time, we can show the program’s impact.”
We can at the very least share all of the hard lessons we have learned over time!
Please spirit!”
“Oh Evan, the future is always shifting and still very much open for you to alter.”
Luckily it was all just a dream.