Happy almost Christmas to those of you who celebrate it! Happy almost The Week Where Traffic Is Super Light to everyone else! Because of the holiday, we are about to embark on a more relaxed posting schedule — not because we want to take time off to shove cheese balls in our faces (although obviously we do) as much as because we’re entering that brief period when NO ONE IS LEAVING THE HOUSE and ergo, material is light on the ground. We will be updating between now and 2014 — we’ve got all kinds of fun stuff planned, from Best and Worsts to the annual Vogue Predicta-Cover — so definitely pop back in between your own cheese balls and see what’s up. And rest your eyeballs while you can, because come January, IT IS ON: Awards season!

– Bored over the holidays? You may not have noticed that we updated our header to give you helpful links to stuff like all the movies we’ve covered, all the shows we fug-cap, runway shows, the royals, and Fug Madness — all kinds of good stuff, archived, and ready for you to rifle through this holiday season.

– You can also always keep up with us on Twitter and on Facebook and on Pinterest.

– It has come to my attention that some GFY readers didn’t hear our most recent exciting news, which is that we are working on a new book. Now you know! (I should be writing it right now, in fact.)

– Now that all the house-keeping is done, on to the good stuff, in the form of an extra-long Fugs & Pieces. Ahem: Cocktails Could Protect You From Getting Sick. I KNEW IT! (Mother Jones)

– This is very cool. Apparently, in Japan, it was tradition for parents and grandparents to create, by hand, balls made from scraps of old kimonos and give them to their children on New Year’s Day.  They’re called temari (which means “handball,” I believe). I’m not sure if this is still a tradition, and I hope someone with more knowledge about this will pop up in the comments to teach us more. At any rate, one such grandchild has been photographing all the temari her grandmother, who is now 92, has made since the 1960s and they are breathtaking. They are so beautiful. Go look. (Bored Panda)

– Let’s talk about the real Mary Poppins — the one in the books. Spoiler: She is no Julie Andrews.  I do love those books. (Although I also love Julie Andrews.) (The Hairpin)

– Vulture has been doing a series of Oral Histories and they are SO GOOD. You will want to read them all, but you will especially want to read The Oral History of the Clueless Party Scene and ‘You Waited’: The Oral History of Donna Losing Her Virginity on Beverly Hills, 90210. READ THEM.  (But also, read the one about Buffy. And “Baby Got Back.” And the episode of Sex and the City where Kristen Johnston falls out the window.) (Vulture)

– This is old, but I ran across it in a Best of Year round up and I had to share: Secret Fore-Edge Paintings Revealed in Early 19th Century Books at the University of Iowa. Secret paintings on books! YES. (Colossal)

– YES. You DO need to spend some time revisiting the Mitch Gaylord tour de force American Anthem. YOU DO. (Sports On Earth)

Martha Stewart has doubts about all these other “lifestyle” experts. I always back Martha. Always. (Celebitchy)

– This is interesting! 11 Badass Women Who Lived at the Chelsea Hotel. (Bookish)

– i09 clip-ifies some of the best and worst moments on TV this year. Spoilers if you’re not caught up on stuff, obviously, but I had to include this because the first clip is one of my favorite things that happened on TV this year as well. A hint: FAREWELL, YOLANDA. (i09)

– Ahem: Hot Men in Warm Sweaters. (The Cut)

–In case you’re cold, Refinery29 tracked down a bunch of actually cute puffer coats. (Refinery29)

– Hee. Cosmo envisions a wide variety of celebrity couples wearing the iconic Britney and Justin Matching Denim, and it is funny. (Cosmopolitan)

People gives us 12 Months of Royals in 2 Minutes. (It’s a video, and there’s sound, so watch at home with your cheese balls). (People)

– Speaking of, here’s Prince Harry’s giant polar beard, and also a slightly bearded Alexander Skarsgård. MERRY CHRISTMAS.

But wait. It is not officially the holidays until we all bask in the glory of George Michael’s hair and bunch of 80s sweaters…..after the jump:

HAPPY HOLIDAYS, FUG NATION. You would never give away our hearts the very next day.

33