I'm out of the office for the holidays from Wednesday, Dec. 24, until Monday, Jan. 5. I will be checking my email—emcmackin@hammock.com—and office voice mail during this time. Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

New Year's Eve and New Year's Day are two of my favorite holidays. Call me sentimental, but I love the idea of getting all dressed up and going out to celebrate all that was good about the past year ("Auld Lang Syne" always gets me choked up!) and embracing the possibilities of a new year. I've always made resolutions. Like the cabbage, black-eyed peas and hog jowl I consume on New Year's Day, I know that making resolutions might not bring me prosperity, wealth or luck, but there's something magical about believing you have the power to change and grow. Here are my three resolutions for 2009: