Ah, yes, the return to the normal routine. Mine tends to include lists. I'll think of things as I get up in the morning and before I know it, there's a list of things to do for the day — but it feels like at the start of the year these lists are even longer.

They're silly things, things you think you'd remember anyway, but if I don't list them there's a chance they'll slip through the cracks. Today: I have friends to contact, dates to check, packing tape to buy, trips to the bank and the library, a call to the diving facility where I got trained to see if I can get a refresher course, and a note — as if I really needed this — to remember to continue the long packing process of the apartment. We're doing that in small increments and trying to ditch things we don't want to move with along the way. (Tip to those just tuning in: We're looking to shift into Brooklyn sometime in 2013.)

I'm a pretty organized person. It just works for me; there are few sensations comprable to being able to cross some "done!" part of my list off. I come by it honestly: When my sister-in-law was visiting over the weekend we went through my baby book and I was a little surprised to see that for every one of my first ten birthdays (at least) mom had made a list of every person who attended the party, their gift, a napkin, the invitation, and some photos. All held together with a paper clip. Now, that's organized, and a treat to come across years later.

That said, things slip through the cracks: According to my own wedding list (on Excel, hardly as nostalgia-inducing), two folks never got thank-you notes, a fact we plan on rectifying tonight. Hey, it's never too late. No wonder Santa checked his list twice.