Happy holidays . . . .

Jingle bells, jingle bells...! It’s Christmas time, and let me say this right up front: I really DO like fruitcake. (I guess that comes as no great surprise.) I also enjoy Christmas cookies, eggnog (non-alcoholic), and everything else that makes us make those ridiculous New Year’s resolutions. Whew. I really need to.

I also breathe a sigh of relief at the end of every year, knowing that we did another lap around the sun without any great resource glitch. As of right now, we still have plenty of oil, natural gas and coal — plenty of power. But, every year we manage to maintain the status quo is a year taken at the expense of the downside curve. Ain’t I just the greenest Grinch?

Oil is a finite commodity. Sadly, if not ironically, the Kardashians are not. We may have an endless supply of Kardashians well into the foreseeable future, while the oil is going to get tight, and the longer we use more of it now, the tighter it’s going to get sooner, later. And if you were expecting a “tight Kardashian” joke there, well, just keep in mind they have an infinite supply of lawyers while I do not. Anyway, this is Christmas, and we should all play nice. If only for a week or so.

In a couple of weeks it will be 2011, and it looks like maybe legendary oil guru Dr. Colin Campbell was wrong when he said we’d see serious oil problems in the first decade of the 21st century. (He did, however, totally peg the peak of oil production. Good call there, Doc!) We’re still moving right along, no worries in sight — and that’s a bad thing. The longer we stay ok, with plenty of oil, the steeper the drop will be on the far side when it starts to run out. Again, oil is a finite commodity. We can use it all up now, or we can pace ourselves. No, wait — it’s too late for that pace thing. Might as well use it all right now. Where are my truck keys?

So when you raise that toast on New Year’s Eve and watch Ryan Seacrest in Times Square, look around the room. Focus on your friends and family and understand: It will not always be like this. Enjoy it. Appreciate it.

Happy New Year, y’all.