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Apple CEO Tim Cook recently sent a letter out to all of his employees thanking them for an incredible year. As a reward for the hard work each employee put in at Apple, Cook said he's extending the company's Thanksgiving vacation to include Nov. 19 – 21 so that Apple's "teams can spend the whole week with their loved ones."

"In a little over six months we've launched outstanding new products in each of our major categories, starting with the new iPad this spring," Cook said in the letter obtained by 9to5Mac. "The response was incredible, and continued to show Apple's unrivaled leadership in this post-PC era. Over the summer we introduced the radically thin and light 15″ MacBook Pro with Retina display, and shipped  Mountain Lion, the fastest-selling update to OS X ever. Today, iPhone 5 is taking the world by storm. And in the next few weeks we'll ship the new iPod touch and completely redesigned iPod nano with innovative designs that our customers are going to love this holiday season."

Cook said that "some teams" won't receive the extended vacation, including retail employees, but that members of those teams can speak to a manager about taking additional time at a later date. "Our international teams will also get an extra three days off during this quarter, scheduled at a time that's best for them." The full letter is below:

Team,

Apple is having another incredibly successful year, thanks to all of the hard work by you and your teams. Your focus and dedication to making the best products on earth is what makes Apple such an incredible place.

In a little over six months we've launched outstanding new products in each of our major categories, starting with the new iPad this spring. The response was incredible, and continued to show Apple's unrivaled leadership in this post-PC era. Over the summer we introduced the radically thin and light 15″ MacBook Pro with Retina display, and shipped  Mountain Lion, the fastest-selling update to OS X ever. Today, iPhone 5 is taking the world by storm. And in the next few weeks we'll ship the new iPod touch and completely redesigned iPod nano with innovative designs that our customers are going to love this holiday season.

To recognize the efforts that made this amazing year possible, I'm happy to announce that we're extending the Thanksgiving holiday once again this year. We will shut down with pay on November 19, 20 and 21 so our teams can spend the whole week with their loved ones.

Retail and some other teams will need to work that week so we can continue to serve our customers, but please check with your manager about taking time off at a later date. Our international teams will also get an extra three days off during this quarter, scheduled at a time that's best for them. Details will be available on AppleWeb.

Thank you for everything you do for Apple and please enjoy this much deserved break.

[via 9to5Mac]