Pity the poor plugs.

If the holiday season is a time for making connections -- with family, friends, distant relatives -- our trusty two- and three-pronged campuswide relayers of electricity missed out this year.

While we gathered in warm houses, they lay on floors and tables in cold, darkened rooms. Disconnected. Devoid of current. Desolate.

But weep not. Their sacrifice was our gain.

By unplugging equipment, turning off lights and shutting down computers before leaving for winter break in December, the campus community saved 3,200 kilowatts over the 10-day break. That lowered campus energy bills by about $76,800.

There are two ways of looking at this news. For glass-half-empty types: Well, we did better last year, even better the year before. Looking at the straight numbers, we seem not to have heeded the pre-break call for energy savings as well as we might.

But, glass-half-full types: take heart. The straight numbers don't tell the whole story.

They don't indicate that in the week leading up to winter break, we used 1,000 fewer kilowatts than in the same week five years ago. Considering all the new space that has been added to campus since 2001, the news is considerably cheerier. Our backs are worthy of a little patting.

So, now that break is over (sigh), it's back to the daily grind. But that doesn't mean the focus on energy savings should be relegated to the back burner. Saving money for the university and reducing emissions by burning less fuel continue to be worthy causes.

So when you're not using plugs and their appliances, give them the rest they deserve. And try not to be too envious.