Ah, the holidays. A time for spending time with family. A time for dreaming of spending it with wealthier, sexier, more interesting people.

Of course, you would never admit to that. Neither would we. Frankly, we're appalled you would even think such things of our family. But surely we can all agree that some people fantasize about such things, right?!

Enter Brandon Wade, an aspiring physicist who turned his MIT education and bad luck with the ladies into an Internet matchmaking empire. His specialty? Matching up the wealthy (i.e., Sugar Daddies) with the attractive (i.e., hot women). (Sure, there are Sugar Mommas but if we're being honest, and going purely by the numbers, Sugar Daddies outnumber Sugar Mommas like 15 to 1.)

So the apocalypse was a no show — unless, of course, your name was Tim Tebow or John Boehner. (Oh, snap!) Hopefully you didn't blow all your money on booze and Olympic hookers in an end-of-the-world bender. That would be awkward, right?

Well, it sure was fun rattling each other's cages and planning end-of-the-world hookups, right? I'll always have my commemorative apocalypse coin (pictured left) that I bought for 88 cents on the Internet to remember that time we survived the end together.

So, what happens now?

We've all had a weird travel experience – like that time I got dusted for explosives TWICE within an hour and the only thing that changed since the first one was that I sat with my mother while waiting for a delayed flight -- in plain view of the TSA screeners. (Yeah, I wouldn't trust an adorable lady in a festive sweater, either!) But chances are, most of us haven't had experiences quite as extreme as the ones described by Independent Traveler in their "Weirdest Travel News of 2012."

Did you hear the one about the British Airways flight when, at 3 a.m., a flight attendant announcement jolted everyone out of their nighttime eye masks, telling them to prepare for a crash landing into the sea? Then -- Whoops! Sorry, wrong button. Everybody go back to sleep. You wanna know the worst part? It wasn't the first time this has happened on a British Airways flight!

By now, most people know the date of the end of the world,according to the Mayan calendar — Dec. 21, 2012. But, um, does anyone know what exactly is supposed to happen — or when?

"I thought that, at midnight, the Earth would lose gravity and we'd all be sucked into space," one colleague said.

"So what time is the#apocalypse?" @spellingwitch wrote on Twitter. "I mean, is it midnight local time? Midday? Or close of business? I'd like to plan my last activities."

To find comfort in the answers, we turn to the Internet. Here's what to expect when you're expecting the end:

Ah, the holidays. A time for good food, spending time with loved ones – and checking your email on your BlackBerry.

Sorry, grandma. Just a sec …

Do you plan to work over the holidays? Join the club: One out of every four workers who is taking a vacation this holiday season said they plan to work during their time off, according to a survey by Harris Interactive for vacation club Inspirato.

Of course, the No. 1 reason most people cite is to avoid work piling up at the office (54 percent), with a solid showing for "I don't like being out of the loop." (27 percent)

How much is a name worth?

If you're this guy, Jason, it's exactly $45,500.

How does he know?

He sold it for auction (www.buymylastname.com). His last name used to be Sadler but for the next year, it will be HeadsetsDotCom (www.headsets.com).

It's got a nice beat, you can dance to it, don't you think?

Show of hands, please: Who here is sick of lame conference-room parties with fluorescent lighting that can make even the brightest of confetti seem unfestive?

All of you?

Well, don't worry Cubesters – we're here to help. Today,we're checking in with Maneesh Goyal, president and founder of experiential-marketing agency MKG, who's planned parties for everyone from Russell Simmons to P.Diddy (Sean Combs) to help keep the "lame" out of your holiday punch.

(Read More: Tips for the Office Holiday Party.)

One party he organized for Simmons involved a variety of entertainment from ballerinas to ballroom dancers on stripper poles.He's also done black-tie events for Diddy and other clients.

But hang on, there Skippy — that doesn't mean we're ordering strippers and ballerinas for the office holiday party. We're going to have fun without setting off the flashing light in HR!

It's been a tough slog in Cubeville the past few years as companies not only cut back on staffing but also morale-boosting events like the office holiday party. But don't cry in that beer you had to buy with your own money just yet – the office holiday party is making a comeback!

The number of companies holding office holiday parties has fallen steadily in the past few years until it hit the bottom of the punch bowl at 74 percent last year but it bounced back this year to 91 percent, according to a survey by global executive-search firm Battalia Winston.

That's a pre-recession level of partying! (The last time the partying gauge was this high was 2006, when it hit 95 percent.)

No matter how many times people tell you not to drink too much and photocopy your butt at the office holiday party, some people just won't listen.

Here are some of the most outrageous things people have done at office parties, according to a survey of marketing and advertising executives by staffing firm The Creative Group:

"An employee threw his coworker in a lagoon!"

"A person rode naked on a ferris wheel."

"An employee dressed up as a wrestler."

Many workers used to take their health benefits for granted but cutbacks or outright elimination of care has everyone white-knuckling those benefits – just try to pry our fingers off!

A new survey puts it all in perspective: Most people would rather spend a night in jail than lose their benefits.