My people, know that I love you with my whole heart. And yet, at Yuletide, I come to love you more, and how can that be possible? I thought that Yuletide was splendid and amazing and splendidly amazing last year, and yet this year trumps it: this year is full of every kind of delight, stories that fit in the very kernel of your soul, thrilling adventures, sprawling epics, stories so dark and bright at once you could very well be blinded forever having read them. They are dangerous and wily, they are perfectly, tenderly, ridiculously adorable, they teach, they heal, they sing to you. Oh, Yuletide, you fill me to the brim with... elation, I think. I get fic-drunk this time of year, because there's SO MUCH TO READ. And not just the bounty of Yuletide, but all the fic swaps and challenge communities and holiday exchanges...

Okay, fine, reading this is likely giving you a toothache, shut up.

favorites that threerings, siegeofangels, lynnmonster, kassrachel and musesfool read first:

Bright Moon, Who Goes Farther Still. I think this is some of the most accomplished storytelling of Yuletide this year. Of everything listed here, this is the one story I would urge you to read whether or not you're familiar with the source material. It's a Watership Down story, and it's completely brilliant. Also fascinatingly feminist. And absolutely worth your time.

Thaw. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay. Joe comes back to himself, bit by bit, in this lovely exploration of Joe's "missing years".

The Midsummer Diaries. Slings and Arrows. Maria reports on New Burbage: funny and sharp, with brilliant and even tender characterization. Gorgeously done.

Extra-Proscenium, In Love With A Spear-Carrier. Slings and Arrows. Ellen meets Oliver, then Geoffrey. Amazing work.

Those That Play Your Clowns. I think Slings and Arrows wins Yuletide this year. I'm nowhere near done reading these, and yet every single story is solid gold so far. Cyril has had four decades of the theater and whoever wrote this has my deepest gratitude.

There Will Be No Survivors (Except for the Survivors Behind the Curtain, But Pay No Attention to Them) The best Princess Bride story ever. Although there is a puzzling lack of Fezzik, there is Inigo's innate sense of fairness and Westley's… Westleyness. This settles my conscience about The Dread Pirate Roberts quite comfortably.

The Ivory Horn. This story beautifully reconciles two opposing philosophies with no small amount of grace and tenderness. The twist sneaks up on you, and then you think, "Of course." The best His Dark Materials story I've seen yet.

Twice Upon a Time. This is far and away my favorite Pushing Daisies story, and really, everything I've read so far has been delightful. It's hardly surprising to find that Chuck is full of surprises, but the meta here is completely charming.

Once Upon A Bird. This Princess Tutu story comes with its own soundtrack, and as far as fairy tales are concerned, delivers a beautifully told and original tale with a chill worthy of the Bothers Grimm.

Film Studies. This Hot Fuzz story may be the funniest thing written for Yuletide this year (!!!!CAR CHASE!!!!!), unless it's

Domestic Disturbances, a story that's absolutely Arrested Development. My favorite part is "Next Week on..." promos.

Of course, I think my favorite this year so far is Macdonald Hall Is Fabulous. The title's a bit unwieldy, but the story rings every bell: it's fun and goofy and full of the off-kilter well-intentioned juggernaut of Support and Respect and Tolerance that would surely gain momentum at Macdonald hall in just such a situation. If Gordon Korman wrote it himself, I would not be a bit surprised.

A few I stumbled upon on my own from here and there:

Untitled Henry/Francis, The Secret History, in the comments. Cleverly done, with superb Francis and Henry characterization. I shake your hand, anonymous!

Sensoria. Duckie from Pretty in Pink gets a summer job. So does Cameron from Ferris Beuller's Day Off. This is exactly the sort of story that makes Yuletide glorious: you have never read this story, never even thought about it, but you somehow already know it by heart.

Breakfast: Central Park West. From the sn_holidays Sports Night exchange. Scrunchy keeps Casey and Dan in a box under her bed, I'm sure of it. This is so them, and it makes me so quietly, completely happy.

Are We the Fools for Being Surprised? The finest Daria/Jane I've read yet, and really, they're all pretty good.

Things I Loved Best in 2007:

Here, have a song that has brought me much joy and joyness this year: Because It's Midnite, as covered by sloshy. More homestarrunner.com goodness is to be found in this episode of Teen Girl Squad.

And a songvid that makes me wiggle with giddy, giggly delight every fucking time: jarrow's Will and Grace vid, Paul McCartney.

Yacht Rock. Hall and I will not stand idly by while you California vagina sailors stab the American airwaves in the balls with your shit music!

The 2007 SXSW Music Festival Player. (Look for The Changes, When I Wake).

Pandora.

The First Day of My Life by Bright Eyes. Yes, it's well established that I'm an utter sap, but I dare you to watch this and not get a bit choked up.

Guilty Pleasure, by Cobra Starship. Someone said this vid is made of puppies and rainbows. It totally is. It's surprisingly, and genuinely, adorable.

Princess Tutu. I have no link, because TVLinks is gone gone gone, but this show is a) utterly bizarre 2) completely adorable iii) full of unexpectedly delightful plot twists.

Slings and Arrows. I think this may be the most perfect television show ever made. The writing and acting is not only brilliant, but consistently so, for the entire three seasons. I would likely never have seen this, had katallison not sent it to me as a lovely, random holiday gift last year—and now it makes me ridiculously happy to think it may be a Yuletide staple for the next little while.

My apartment, my couch, my bed.

Bring on to 2008!