Bryan Rodgers

After a relatively low amount of guest sit-ins in 2011, the event returned to form this year. There was collaboration at every turn. The set-list became an article unto itself during the first hour of the show and grew into a monster by the end of the eight-hour affair. The Jam can unfold in countless ways, with a limitless amount of song possibilities, so it's engaging enough just to see what Haynes has concocted. Though the increasingly rare appearance by String Cheese Incident drew the most attention from the heavily partisan crowd, the entire night proved noteworthy, if not always riveting, and large portions were indicative of the unique magic the Christmas Jam fosters.