'Tis the season.

Whoever created vacations is the greatest person ever. I've had many a winter break, summer vacation, spring break, and the like in my life. But never before have I had the pure joy and relaxation that comes from choosing my own vacation days and taking an entire week off from work. I ignored my blackberry like a pro. I enjoyed running outside during the day on a weekday. I got hooked on a new (old) tv show (Veronica Mars). And I even accompanied Sister to a few law school classes. Ah, memories. Sister showed me a great time in Vermont. We saw the new HP (after driving over an hour and crossing state lines to get to a theater with more than one showing per night), cooked meals (and baked!), watched glee, worked out (though after my one trip to the Vermont Law gym, I decided I had encountered a few spider webs too many and resigned myself to a Tae Bo DVD in Sister's apartment and running through the rolling hills for the rest of my week's workouts), and began our Hanukkah shopping. Oh, glorious days!

After nearly a week in Vermont, Sister, Sister's friend Z, and I piled into Otto (oh, so good to drive Otto again!) and headed south to Boston for some QT with The Famous Auntie Bevy, Gramps, and the rest of the gang. Oh, and Mother, Pops, and Brother met us down there, too. The standard Thanksgiving fare did not disappoint, and we headed back to TFAB's house for a bit more food and a photo album viewing session. There's nothing like being around family - people who have known me my whole life, who have seen (and still loved me) when I had a black eye, who have stood by me when my tastes evolved from special order grilled cheese sandwiches to sushi, and who never cease to ask me whether I have found "anyone special" - to make me feel warm, fuzzy, and ready to listen to a John Mayer album while burning a vanilla lavender scented candle. I jest; my days of listening to John Mayer albums in their entirety have long since passed.

I mentioned my Four Point Plan in my last post. Point One, as you now know, is figuring out my next career move. A week with sister up at VLS helped me power through Point One and get a hold on where I think I need to be in order to "move on up." (And no, I don't mean up the chain to partnership. Why anyone would want to do that to herself is completely lost on me.) My goal is happiness (corny, yes), and I am on my way to starting down that yellow brick road. Check back in for more on Point One in the next few months. For now, knowing there's a way out makes going to work each morning much easier. Point Two is kicking up the fitness level. So far, so good. I even bought some $2.99 Billy Blanks Tae Bo DVDs on Black Friday! Now I just need to figure out how best to move my couch out of the way so I actually have enough room in front of my tv to do the workouts. The joys of NYC apartment living. More on Points Three and Four another time.

Now that Thanksgiving is over, the Christmas spirit is all around. In fact, as I write this, I am watching/listening to Martina McBride sing "O Holy Night" on the CMA Country Christmas special on abc. It's pretty fantastic. My office building has erected in its lobby the most massive Christmas tree I've ever seen indoors. I wonder if they keep the lights on all the time (and if so, whether the firm's Green Committee is going to do anything about the electricity overload). (As a side green note, I forgot to mention earlier that Sister's law school building has composting toilets. Yes, that's right, rather than being flushed and washed out to sea, your business drops down two stories into a contraption that converts it into fertilizer. Don't tell me you don't think that's absolutely genius.) The holiday season brings out the subway Christmas carolers. Now, I am a huge fan of subway musicians (when they are talented, I mean), but adding Christmas songs into the mix makes me stop and turn off my ipod every time. It takes me back to my days of singing gospel in college. What a blast. I wish I could give all the (talented) subway Christmas carolers money. But I can't. So instead, I give my extra change to those people dressed as Santa, ringing Salvation Army bells next to a bucket. I think that's fair. Oh, and a message to those (talented) subway Christmas carolers reading this: go audition for American Idol! If it can happen for J. K. Rowling and Jewel, it can happen for anyone. (And maybe one day it'll happen for me!)

Before I trot off to bed, I am allowing myself a shameless plug: with only 26 days of holiday shopping left, check out the senioritis designs and find something delightful for your loved (or even liked) ones! http://www.etsy.com/shop/senioritis Enjoy!