Horray, horray, it's a holi-holi-day

Whatever you may think of the third commandment, it seems that even medical scholars and physicians support the idea that you and I from time to time need to divert our attention from our daily work load, and simply opt for more relaxing and body-friendly use of our time.

And the grand idea is called time off, relaxation, holiday or whatever other term you may prefer.

The Roman upper classes had plenty of holidays, and the number of them kept swelling until it reached an absurd 150 days off per year well into the glory days of the Empire. Well, slaves obviously had to carry on with their manual, menial tasks even when their lords and ladies were out and about carousing and revelling. But even the lowliest of the lowly were accorded an occasional respit from long, arduous hours once every now and then. Have you ever heard about the Saturnalia?

Holiday short-list

Never mind if you're a total stranger to the word. I hope, for your sake, that you know first-hand the meaning of really setting aside valuable time to refresh you soul and spirit. We're a full two weeks into the finale of 2008, and I for one have a shortlist in the back of my mind of the things I desire to do before January resurfaces in yet another calendar incarnation:

First of all I want to finish John Milton's "Paradise regained", a much overlooked masterpiece by the author of "Paradise lost". I have never been much of an audio book addict, but somehow this classic has made it onto my menu of literary delicacies I should not slight. I know my two daughters and one son will try their best at disrupting this luxury of late-night solitude, but hopefully I'll make it through to the very last line.

Christmas, and the other holidays, are just about the only providers of a sufficient surplus of hours that I can devote to reading. And I love to read.....and I love my kids. So who, really, will win out in the end?

You'll know.