If you're reading this it is likely you are, in one way or another, trying to escape Christmas. And what better way to escape it than spending time aimlessly surfing blogs. Here are the blogs sitting on the Top Shelf at the moment:

A Small Victory: Michele has more talent in her left pinky than most bloggers do in their lives. She writes about everything from music to politics to her life to the world with wit and vim.

Dean's World: True liberalism, with a healthy dose of common sense and a wide raneg of interests.

Everyday Stranger: Quite simply the best writing in blogging. Searingly honest, Helen can make you laugh and cry in the space of a paragraph.

Ilyka Damen: Pithy, refreshingly different and to the point. Not shy about expressing herself, and she expresses herself well.

Instapundit: Deservedly still the king of the blogging hill. Copious links to anything and everything, Glenn often sets the blogosphere agenda. Nowadays there might be rivals, but his is the original and still the best of the top rung of blogging.

Protein Wisdom: Jeff is the most original comedic talent in blogging.

Random Pensees: With as precocious a talent as Girl Child, RP could just act as a scribe for his daughter. But he has plenty to say himself. Not surprisingly, he's a lawyer. Surprisingly, he's a good person as well.

Sanity's Edge: It's no co-incidence that good writers dominate this list. Paul is a master storyteller. He's also a master at debating, if you get my drift.

Silent Running: A couple of Kiwis, a token Aussie and an even more token American ex-military man combine with others to make an engaging group blog.

Snooze Button Dreams: Everything from funny vignettes to thoughtful reflections on life and politics. I miss the cow udder picture.

Tim Blair: Yet another example of an Aussie making it big on the world stage, this time in blogging. Clever and biting.

Winds of Change: The thoughtful group blog that brings Regional Briefings, thought-provoking questions and well-reasoned posts on issues large and small.

I read each of these daily. Bookmark and visit them regularly.