This could be a Christmas card! Me and my Bowl Pool and my Super Mega Crossword.

(Sunday Paper, Year IV, Issue 51)

It’s no secret I love this time of year.

First of all, I’m a big fan of the Christmas season in general - the music, the decorating, the good cheer - all of it.

When I was teaching, the vacation was always something to look forward to.

And now, as a parent, having the kids home for their vacation is what I look forward to.

I’ve also told you plenty over the years about my love for bowl game season, which kicked off on Friday this year.

But the past few years another activity popped up that has now become a tradition and something I look forward to every year as well.

Every year at around this time - mid-December, let’s say - the New York Times has an insert in the Sunday paper (no relation to this column). It’s called Puzzle Mania.

The idea, I guess, is that there are plenty of people enjoying some leisure time this time of year, and it’s something to work on during the cold winter nights. It’s a collection of word puzzles, visual puzzles, puzzles you might see in the magazine from week to week…and others that don’t fit the magazine format.

But the centerpiece - literally and figuratively - is the Super Mega Crossword.

It’s a gigantic crossword puzzle with hundreds of clues…and it’s a double-puzzle - once you solve the crossword there’s another puzzle hidden within the crossword solution.

It’s awesome.

This is the third one, and I started it this week after letting it sit for a week.

It’s not all that difficult - it’s just long. It’s not the type of thing you do in one sitting…or at least, I don’t. I go back to it often, in 5- or 10-minute chunks, I’d guess, over a couple of weeks.

And then it needs to sit and marinate for a bit before that last puzzle gets solved. For me it’s something I need to take a break from and get back to.

I started the crossword earlier than I usually do this year (but who can tell - with the holidays on Wednesday this year everything is weird). But I still usually don’t solve the final piece of the puzzle until the new year - which is fine, because it still meets the deadline…I forgot to mention that part is also a contest.

There’s a grand prize winner ($1,000) and I think 25 other entries with the correct answer win a crossword book.

I’d be happy to win one of those prizes, but I suppose the real prize is the feeling of accomplishment you get when you undertake and complete such a challenging task. (I’ve found the solution both of the first two years.)

But I sure could use $1,000. (Haha, just kidding. That’s what the Bowl Pool is for.)

Writing

*I finished a 3 year (maybe 2 and a half, I guess? I think I lost track) stint of part-time not-at-home work this week. I think I have enough opportunities lined up that it won’t be a big financial hit…but it means I have no reason to work not-at-home anymore, so I’ll need to figure out a routine that takes me out of the home office once in a while. (I also have begun regularly employing a ‘dress like I’m going to work even if I’m working from home’ strategy to trick myself into work mode.)

Comedy

*I am in full-fledged preparation mode for January 11th at Exhibit ‘A’. I do not want to fall short of expectations in my first 30-minute set. I hope you can make it out. Tickets are on sale and available at this link.

What I’ve Been Enjoying

*Here’s what I like this time of year (besides my bowl games and my Super Mega Crossword): A little egg nog in my coffee in the morning, and a little bit of Scotch (no coffee) at night. I’ve been enjoying that the past week, likely for another week or so, and then that’ll be it until next holiday season.

Thoughts On Dog Ownership

*Here’s what I’ve been thinking about as I settle into full-on working from home again, but this time with the dog: It can be really easy for me to get absolutely nothing done and blame taking care of the dog for me getting nothing done. (“Taking care of the dog” in this case might mean “just petting and cuddling her.”) But I won’t let that happen.

In related news: This week I took Tate down to the office for a bit and let her wander and check things out so that it will become normal for her to spend a lot of the day in there with me soon.

Notes

*I skipped the marathon training run Saturday morning. I just couldn’t gear up for it on the first day of the kids’ vacation in sub-20 degree temperatures with my legs inexplicably sore even though it’s not like I’ve been running a ton the past couple of weeks. (Once.) I know it’s a slippery slope with not running (although with icy hills it would have also been a slippery slope with running!), but I’m confident if someone came to me tomorrow and said, “We have a Boston Marathon spot for you,” I’d get out and run nine miles and feel good about it.

*Remember last week when I told you about my brother’s album being listed in a poll for a reader’s choice mention as a favorite album of the year? Well, I don’t think his album was in the top whatever they chose…but the website did do a really good write-up of his work. You can read it here if you so desire.

*Not to be outdone, my sister weighed in this week after I wrote about ‘Underneath The Tree’ not being on Sirius’ Holly station. She told me about the ‘Hallmark’ station, which she says has played it. So I’ve been checking that out…I have yet to hear ‘Underneath The Tree’ but there is a different variety of songs on Hallmark. Down to just a few more days…hope I hear the song.

*You can follow me on Twitter or like the Facebook page by clicking those links.

*As of Saturday night: I am progressing nicely through the Mega Crossword, and so far so good on the bowl games. We had a nice Saturday, got out and did some family stuff, and I still managed to watch a whole bunch of football. Sure does feel like Christmastime in my book.