So, I’m done working for the year. That’s good. I’ve gotten really used to taking the last week and a half of the year and just not doing much of anything beyond basic household upkeep and the stuff that I want to do. The general lack of obligation to anyone but me, especially the part about not having to drive anywhere unless I want to (or, you know, need food or beer or something) is quite possibly the best gift I can give myself.

Also, I’m calling it right now: with the completion of the trip I just took around the city this afternoon, I’m done Christmas shopping. Nobody’s getting anything else; sorry. I might have to go buy cat food later, but that’s not Christmas shopping (and I don’t necessarily mind going to get things for the cats; they earn their keep by being amusing and purring).

So, what’s the plan? Dunno – don’t really have one. There are interesting movies to watch, I have have plenty of books to read, and Final Fantasy XII-2 is finally starting to make sense to me mechanically, so I’ll probably play some of that. We’ve got plenty of food, drink and spirits stashed away, so I probably don’t even have to go anywhere until Sunday, and that’s only because the spouse and teenager are in a choir and have to go sing some madrigals.

Also, I recently dug the mandolin out, and have been attempting to bend it’s really tiny neck with lots and lots of strings on it to the will of my large, but reasonably nimble and precise fingers – I think I may be gaining some ground in that particular war. There my be some more dispatches on that front in the days and weeks to come; who knows.

As far as the blog goes the rest of the year, I usually try to set the internet aside at this point in the year, though I’ll probably do a couple of those year-end posts the week before New Years, because it’s interesting, and it helps me take stock of my thoughts and actions for the year (and gives me a chance to go back and highlight the stuff I wrote this year that I like). So, unless the world does end in the next nine hours or so, be on the lookout for those sometime next week.

Otherwise, dear readers, that’s mostly it for me unless something interesting happens. In the meantime, please enjoy your holiday season, whichever traditions or philosophies you prefer. Don’t overdo it on food, drink, and song, but don’t underdo it either; you’re worth a little indulgence now and then, and there’s so much around right now to indulge in. Also, take the time to do something nice for somebody; most of those philosophies and traditions out there celebrate that sort of thing, and frankly, it feels good making somebody else feel good, so do that.

And…scene.