The past few weeks have been a mega-emotional, sleep-deprived sprint to the end of the year fueled by caffeine, alcohol, and apparently, based on the volume of tears shed, hormones. Every minute has been crammed with things to do, places to be, people to see. Everyone has been working like a maniac trying to finish off projects before the Christmas holidays, everyone's tired out, and everyone's fighty and nitpicky. I love this time of year but hate the tension in the air - the way it feels like everyone's been stretched to their very limit, like giant rubber bands that are either going to bounce back to normal over the holidays, or completely snap.

I'm really looking forward to the break. I feel like it's been go, go, go for us all year long. Last winter was a complete gong show for me at work. In the spring, we were busy house-hunting, and I started my new job. Summer was consumed by getting the house and getting settled, and then in the fall there were a couple of trips, bringing home Rory, and adjusting to life with a dog. It has been a terrific year full of blessings and it's going to be nice to be able to put the brakes on for a few days, relax, reflect on 2010 a little and get ready for next year.

Today is my last day of work before the break and I've been making lists of holiday do's and don'ts that I will and will not be partaking in over the next several days.

I will:
+lounge around in my Barbie pyjamas for spans of 24-plus hours
+spend obnoxious amounts of time playing Scattergories, Monopoly, Cranium and any other board games on hand and beg +and bribe people as much as necessary to get them to play with me
+eat all the walnuts and cashews out of the bowls of mixed nuts, leaving only the peanuts and greasy peanut skins
+force the dog to wear antlers and pose for a photoshoot
+offer Peter the top bunk when we go to visit my family

I will not:
+drink coffee that doesn't contain Christmas cheer (i.e. booze)
+go on or anywhere near the Internet for several days (byeeeeee blog! and Twitter! And book of faces!)
+swear on Christmas day
+make stupid faces when the camera comes out
+wear anything that doesn't have an elastic waistband

Merry Christmas, Happy (belated) Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, happy Festivus, happy weekend...whatever you're into, I hope you have a lovely time. I will be back after Christmas, after all the merrymaking dies down and it's time for shit to get real again, with the always fun New Year's Resolutions post. Cheers!