Make your weekend rules now

You’ve got work to do today, lots of it with Santa having already done his stretching exercises and started to pack his sleigh. So get to it!

But when you have time for a quick breather, imagine a dome over our gorgeous North Idaho and keep it there this weekend.

If that’s too much for the imagination, how about a dome over your home, where you will have complete control through Christmas Day?

You make the rules for the weekend:

• Only kind words and gifts may be exchanged.

• Smartphones will be declared temporarily stupid. They’re allowed only for calls to friends and family, and of course, for urgent business.

• There is no urgent business.

• The kids can argue, but only over who’s going to be best behaved.

• Christmas cookies are health food. Vegetables optional.

• Your community newspaper will be available for consumption, but it’s OK — in fact, it’s encouraged — to pass over any bad news.

• TVs are not to be left on when your favorite Christmas classic is over. Not until you all watch the next one together, anyway.

• The dog should be taken out at least three times each day for fresh air and exercise.

• The kids should be taken out at least 12 times a day for fresh air, exercise and oh-so-brief reprieves for Mom or Dad.

• Santa’s existence is not to be debated. (Consequences could be dire.)

• Fines shall be established for profanity, vulgarity and any other political statements.

• Cheesecake good. Fruitcake bad.

• If anybody gets a BB gun for Christmas, it’s best left in the box. You’ll shoot your eye out!

• Nat King Cole or Bing Crosby? You can’t miss.

• Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.