Don: I’m laying mostly low this weekend, what with the exertion of having hosted people for Xmas and the impending debauchery of New Year’s. Said debauchery, as the parent of a toddler, that will probably involve dinner and then going to bed at 10pm. Sometimes local fireworks wake me up, though today’s gas leak on my street has left me a little less excite by the idea of urban kabooms. What might work for us is the NOON Year’s Eve shindig that the Yards Park is having on the 31st. Sounds like a good way for the midnight-adverse to enjoy a little community activity and still get to bed at a reasonable hour. If we just happen to get into Bluejacket for lunch, well, more the better.

Rebecca: With Christmas and New Years falling on Wednesday that means a lot more people are out of town, which for me means getting to the museums, sites, restaurants, etc. and having them ALL to my very own. Friday I will finally experience the American Art Museum where I’ll take in the historical paintings and the likes of Gertude Stein and Andy Warhol. Afterwards I’ll post up at Ping Pong Dim Sum for lunch before heading to Iron Horse to play some Big Buck Hunter. Saturday I’m off to the Lansdowne Resort for some relaxing spa action and to get out of town for a bit. Sunday museum going continues at the Phillips Collection with a stop at the Dupont Farmers Market and brunch at Kramer’s afterwards.

Paul: I don’t want to do it, but this weekend is all about recalibrating after all the holiday craziness. Everyone needs a break once in a while. I’m finally going to get my butt down to the Rumsey Aquatic Center and clock some hours in the lap pool. I’ve only lived just a few blocks away from Eastern Market for four months (shameful). Hopefully everyone’s still out of town and the pool won’t be too packed, because I don’t share lanes, I just shred ‘em (cue me gasping for breath after only half a lap). If I don’t drown myself, I’m going to put the rock wall over at Results in SE to the test. That is if my poor, little fingers can handle it. But that’s enough for this weekend. Next week I’ll tackle dieting, I’ve still got a ton of left over holiday beer, hot cocoa, mac and cheese, and chartreuse that I’ve got to finish off. Change comes gradually, after all.

Tom: This is Limbo week in DC, so I feel like much of my life is unscheduled as things wind down for the year. My plans are not ambitious, as this is one of the few quiet weeks when I can flit about unhindered by overbooking. I’ve been considering a run to Ace Beverage to find some new and unique stuff for 2014, as well a stop through the Brookland Arts Walk for some shopping. Beyond that, I intend to let the amateurs have New Years Eve, so catch me setting off some backyard fireworks (or not, if you’re a member of the law-enforcement community) to celebrate the new year.

Jenn: Having spent Christmas in bed with the flu, I’m in the throes of serious cabin fever. With my apartment littered with crumpled up tissues, it’s time to energize for the weekend. Right? Sigh. With the imminent arrival of my brother, I need to clear my addled brain and figure out entertainment options. Though I’m sure to start with some Shaw neighborhood love and show off Eat the Rich (bonus points: chowder, though really anything chef Julien Shapiro has on offer is excellent) and the rest of the my usual 7th Street circuit (see every other Jenn weekend picks entry), I’m feeling the need to branch out. Since I’m still feeling poorly, perhaps he won’t mind if we do an international soup sampler tour and hit Toki Underground, DGS Delicatessen, and Pho Viet. I know he loves coffee, sushi, and pasta, so trips to Qualia, Kushi, and Iron Gate are all in order. Wine is another sibling favorite and I’m due for visits to Veritas, Proof, and Room 11. Since he also enjoys a good thriller, it’s off to the theater for dystopian surveillance drama Edgar & Annabel at Studio Theatre, and why not continue that theme with Damage Control: Art and Destruction at the Hirshhorn? I really want to show him a sampling of DC both new and old…so from Petworth Citizen to Ben’s Chili Bowl, it’ll be a fantastic weekend!

Don: Apparently I’ll be spending my weekend digging my summer clothes back out of storage. Upper 50s. UPPER 60S? DAMN YOU AL GORE! When I’m not wondering what warm, damp hell is this, I will be preparing for the holiday. By which I mean buying crap and preparing to sit on my lazy fat ass while my Mother-in-laws plays with That Darned Toddler and my Darling Wife and my Father-in-law prepare Christmas dinner. (Don’t you judge me; there’s simply not room for a third in that kitchen – physically or next to my FIL’s cooking standards.) The shopping – most of which I’ve completed already, thankfully – I think I’ll do at the Downtown Holiday Market. I still know some of the vendors from our days of exhibiting at Eastern Market and – oh who am I kidding, I’m only going for the fresh mini-donuts.

Tiff: Anytime you get weather in the upper 60s in December, it’s pretty much required to get out and enjoy it. For us, it’s stroller weather, which means we’ll probably take a family walk to breakfast one morning, most likely to Flip-It on Rhode Island Avenue. We’ll be packing the Bridgelet up to check out Zoolights, and possibly also the National Christmas Tree. There’s caroling in Brookland on Saturday night, so if the weather holds I’ll be sitting on the porch, possibly with a crockpot of mulled cider for the carolers. We’re spending Christmas at home this year (Holiday travel with an infant? I do not have that kind of patience) so there will no doubt be a trip to Red Apron Butcher at Union Market for ethically-raised holiday feast ingredients.

Fedward: With family arriving Monday (too soon! too soon! abort!) our weekend is about getting the house in as much order as possible.  I’ve made four trips to Annie’s Ace Hardware in the past week and a half (Tuesday night was Customer Appreciation Night – Annie baked the cake herself), so that probably means I have at least four more to make by Sunday. We’ve also got to make runs to Costco, Yes!, and probably CVS, Safeway, and Giant by the time we remember everything we forgot to put on our lists to begin with. Given the chance we’ll swing by the downtown holiday market (again) for some more last second gifts and fresh mini donuts, but we’re still coasting on our pre-Thanksgiving trip to Ace Beverage so that’s one trip we don’t have to make before guests arrive. We’ll dream about Sunday brunch at the Passenger, but it just might not be in the cards this weekend. Once everybody arrives we’ll make sure to take them to Southern Efficiency for whiskey, and then Jack Rose for whisky. Because yeah.

Paul: I’m gearing up to the celebrate the most magical day of the year this weekend. No, sorry, not Christmas, MY birthday! That’s right, on a starry night a quarter of a century ago, this young man, then only a babe, was brought into this world (and it ain’t ever been the same since!). Festivities will be light, there’s no one left in town after all, and I sort of… “technically” have to be at work on my birthday (though I am not planning on doing anything resembling work while I am there). My big treat to myself will be getting to see Owen Thomson’s best Macaulay Culkin impression at Bar Pilar’s Home Alone Comfort Food Buffet on Sunday. What’s that you say, all you can eat? Did I mention I’m a starving twenty-something? This truly is the most wonderful time of year. Happy holidays DC!

Jenn: This Saturday Southern Efficiency officially opens, the third in a row of bars helmed by Derek Brown and Angie Salame, on the street where I live. Yes, living above your favorite bars run by your favorite people is dangerous, and delightful. A small, cosy space (think Deadwood meets Southern diner) with an intensely good whiskey selection curated by JP Fetherston, Southern Efficiency is the perfect spot to expand your knowledge of American whiskies and indulge in some delicious peanut soup or kicked-up deviled eggs. With Right Proper, All Souls, Eat the Rich, Mockingbird Hill, and Southern Efficiency all within stumbling distance of my front door, my winter doesn’t look so dreary. I intend to take a long stroll over to Dupont Circle’s Fuse Pilates studio and repent for all my indulgences on the aptly-named Reformer. I might even get back on my bike given our strange weather forecast. Who am I kidding, the most exercise I’ll probably get this weekend will be dancing: salsa at Bio Ritmo’s concert at Tropicalia on Friday night, and 80s night at Black Whiskey. Ah, the best intentions.

Rebecca: It’s a chill down weekend for me with lots of time spent with good friends celebrating the holiday season. Friday I’ll be hanging out on H Street doing a little bar hopping. Will hit Little Miss Whiskey’s, Old Vic, Red Rocks and finally Rock N’ Roll Hotel to dance my face off. Saturday I’m going to the National Museum of Women in Arts to see the Workt By Hand exhibit showcasing 35 18th–20th-century quilts from the Brooklyn Museum’s renowned decorative arts collection. Saturday I’m getting dolled up to see Handel’s Messiah, a classy glass of champagne and experience high class holiday decorations at the Kennedy Center. Sunday, I’m off to Wheaton for the best dim sum in the DC area at Hollywood East Cafe.