By the time most of you read this, I’ll be on a five-hour road trip to get my toddler to his grandparents’ north Texas ranch. He’ll have a Christmas filled with decorations, wrapping, holiday cheer and feeding cattle. I’ll get a bottle of Firefly sweet tea bourbon and a nap. That is, after I finish my last-minute shopping and I get my older kids to the other grandparents. If you want, send me your kids, and I’ll find a place for them to spend away from me as well. It’s a natural talent.

How voting works

While I’m on the road, be nice to each other and read the posts before voting for your three favorites. This is how it works: everybody gets three votes. Depending on your browser, there will be a yellow star above or below each thumbnail. Click on the thumbnail to read the post, click the star to vote. After each click of the yellow star, the page will refresh. You’ll have to make your way back down to the grid, then click another yellow star. After three yellow star clicks, you’re done voting, the yellow stars will disappear, and you’re free to campaign for your favorites.

GOTV [getting out the vote]

1…

Ask your readers to join you in choosing their three favorite blog posts this week at lovelinks. That’s less than 140 characters, right? It sounds like a cool Facebook status for your page. So instead of “vote for me”, you can try “vote for your three favorite blog posts at this week’s lovelinks”.

2…

One of two things are gonna happen: you will be flat-out ignored because no way in hell does your friend Megan have time to read 27 blog posts then vote for three of them in a contest she cares nothing about. Or your friend Megan will click through, read a few, discover some new blogs, and vote for one or two for the hell of it.

3…

A third option: your friend Megan cares about you very much, wants you to be happy and even though you asked her to read all the posts (yeah, right), she’ll zero in, vote for yours, then get back to baking her Christmas cookies or recovering from her winter solstice bacchanalia. You tried, and that’s all I ask.

Friday’s winners

• editor’s choice: Erica M being completely subjective and choosing the one post she likes most
• lurker’s favorite: Flood G choosing her favorite
• popular vote winner: your friend Megan putting down the wine just long enough to push your post to the top
• comment karma: not the most comments by a lovelinker, but the overall most thoughtful, witty, wonderful, whatever—I’ll know it when I read it

Lovelinks #36 voting is open…