A.J.
My favorite thing in 2012 was two things, Sookie and Rory (my dogs). Considering that they are yearly my favorite things, I think I should get a third one, too, for last year, which would be the delicious bottle of truffle oil I got for, like, only $4 at the Conad Market in Mercatale, Italy. It would have been about $30 here.

My prediction for 2013 is that the movie The World’s End (directed by Edgar Wright and starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost and Martin Freeman) will make me very happy. Also, I think that PopCap is going to blow your mind (yes, you). Also, I think that I will ride to work on a motorized elephant.
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Curtis
My favorite thing ice cream from 2012: Housemade Maker’s Mark ice cream from Screamin’ Mimi’s, the best ice cream shop ever. Yes, really.

My prediction for 2013: The Mars Rover will be stolen by an invisible clan of Marsmites that prey on bored robots. Soon after, we will discover we were better off with the Mars Bar.

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Dana
It’s hard to pick a favorite thing in a year that included the glorious film version of The Perks of Being a Wallflower, an amazing superhero movie like The Avengers, and new books in the Mistborn, Dresden Files, and Ender’s Game universes. (See how I snuck in a couple of other things so I could almost avoid choosing? Argo also rocked.)

But I’m a comics girl, and there are still a number of great options there to narrow down from, like Invincible, which continues to be the best ongoing comic, and Green Lantern, but I’ll finally commit to one thing which is my favorite for the year:

Angel & Faith. I love Buffy, but I thought Angel was even better, deeper, more profound, the Torchwood to Buffy’s Doctor Who. In comics, however, Buffy had gotten better treatment for the most part… until Christos Gage took the helm. He brings these characters to life more fully than any other writer has since the shows went off the air, and he clearly loves them. It’s been a monthly gift to read this book and return to a world I had really missed. It’s a perfect continuation of the story and the characters, lovingly crafted and utterly respectful of the original shows and their fans. Thank you Joss Whedon, Dark Horse, Christos Gage, and Rebekah Isaacs.

In 2013, I predict that Marvel will announce a new Daredevil movie, rebooting that franchise with Matt Davis (Alaric from “The Vampire Diaries”) in the lead. Okay, that’s totally my wishful thinking but psst, Marvel dudes, it’s the best idea you might not have had yet.
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Jeff
My favorite thing of 2012 was also sort of my least favorite: Sending my daughter off to college in New York City. The bad part was sending her off. Because, seriously, where did those 18 years go? Was she just not putting a bowl of spaghetti over her head? (Okay, maybe she did that at the dorms, too.) But the awesome part was seeing my kid as a newly minted young adult, taking on NYC and kicking ass at it. (In one week, she: saw “Book of Mormon,” met Katie Couric on the street, sat in the Colbert Report audience…and aced her term paper. I didn’t do one thing half that cool in my six years as an undergraduate.) Being a parent is the best and hardest thing in the world. When you have any successes at all at it, no matter how big or small, nothing comes close to being more satisfying. Oh but I also loved The Hobbit.

Prediction for 2013: I will see The Hobbit 12 more times.
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Julie
My favorite thing from 2012 is farro. Specifically the delicious version sometimes served as a small plate at Bar del Corso here in Seattle — simmered in a dark, savory broth, with wild mushrooms and creamy cheese. Yum!

Prediction for 2013: Farro will soon be out of fashion, replaced by some new “ancient” grain. Like maybe teff. Or amaranth.

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KUHU

Kuhu shall speak about 2012!
There is no past; there is only future. There is no regret, only hope… and sometimes fear. But there was once, on May 15, an excellent sunrise!

Kuhu foreknows 2013!
The seventh month of the flying baboon reveals Truth For All: and we shall know the glory of a perfectly fried onion ring!

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Philip
My kid is learning how to read. My favorite thing from 2012 was sitting in her room while she read Dr. Seuss’ Hop on Pop out loud to the dog.

I predict the Seattle Mariners will realize that those teal alternate jerseys make them look like an intramural softball team and they will stop wearing them. I will be so happy that I won’t even care when they miss the playoffs. (I hope to be at least half right.)

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Zombie

Favorite Thing from 2012: Brains.

Prediction for 2013: Brains.