Join me tomorrow, Christmas Day, readers, as I begin what to me is the most fun I have all year on Bigger Than Your Head, the “12 Days of Christmas with Champagne and Sparkling Wine” countdown. These bottles, generally one each day, take us from the day of Christmas itself to Twelfth Night, when the Yuletide season traditionally ends. I say “one each day,” but I tend to offer three or four on New Year’s, just for the hell of it. The examples in this segment of “12 Days of Christmas” will not duplicate the Champagnes and sparkling wines I mentioned last time.

And in keeping with the straitened economic situation we find ourselves in at the end of 2008, I’m going to keep prices lower and direct you to more alternatives than actual Champagnes from that region of France, though I promise that there will be a few, if I can keep them under $50.

Tonight LL and I have our usual Christmas Eve dinner: rib roast, Yorkshire pudding, roasted potatoes, Brussels sprouts in brown butter and a selection of cheeses to finish. A bottle of Renaissance Cabernet Sauvignon 1996 from the Sierra Foothills. As soon as I post this entry, I’ll start cooking. I finished my last story of the year for the newspaper this afternoon about 2 o’clock, and I’m off until January 5.

Have a great night, friends, and a Merry Christmas.

Image from pro.corbis.com.