Thuy: Come on, everybody, what are you up to?

For the holidays, we're reminded that as a newsroom we are - first and foremost - a family.

When you spend so much time with people in such a close setting, often in a crisis setting, it's hard not to think of them as family. Forty hours a week and everybody becomes roommates. I could just as well introduce everyone to non-news-junkies as "Hi So-and-so, I'd like you to meet my roommate, [common name], one of five people on our floor with that name, but he's the one who [something memorable]."

And for the holidays we wish each other a happy holiday season. We bring holiday food to share, stop at each other's cubicles to talk about holiday plans and take a little extra time to be personal even though many of us are wrapping up everything in order to leave for vacation.

This week has been one of newsroom Christmas letters, cookie exchange, holiday coverage, Christmas Fund, collective chocolate frenzy, and yesterday a reporter brought her baby who fell asleep in the arms of a senior reporter... take note, the baby everybody in the newsroom was anticipating when said reporter was supposedly overdue. We get excited for everybody's happinesses and celebrate one another's successes.

Then today our biz columnist brought baklava - a holiday tradition at his house. (Baklava! The flakiness was perfect. I lifted the top layer of pastry off the top and set it to the side to eat last. I nibbled the nutty part sideways. The honey syrup was slightly tart. The last bite was scrumptious. How do you eat baklava? Holy cow)

Today was a day of complimenting his family on their baklava. We had huddle conversations about Harry Potter theories (who's going to die next?), in addition to talking about our children and making plans to sneak out and go Christmas shopping during lunch break.

We're making memories and making traditions, marking the rhythm of life and the passing of time.

Time may pass quickly in a newsroom but it doesn't make quality time any more fleeting.