Over this holiday break, I've found myself feeling a bit nostalgic. So when I unearthed my first-ever laptop from the piles of paper I was sifting through on our desk, I had to log on and look through my old files and things. Then, in a stroke of good fortune, I was able to locate one of my beloved Sims 2 disks in our old computer game holder.

I told myself when I pushed 'Play' that I was just doing it for research and would only be on for a little while.

Cut to me sitting in the exact same position three hours later, completely focused on keeping my replica of the Addams family alive and well, while trying not to go broke decorating their home.

So in honor of all the hours well-spent, I formed a list of some of the most accurate Sims 2 truths known to man.

1. You get excited every time the loading screen pops up...even though it takes approximately 8,000 years to actually boot up.

2. You create a new family almost every time you log on because it's the most fun part of the game. And it takes you at least an hour every time, because you need to get all the details just right.

3. You instinctively Ctrl+Shift+C as soon as humanly possible.

4. Whenever you type in boolprop testingcheatsenabled true, you promise yourself that you'll undo it before you close the game so it won't glitch, but you forget every time. (You also have sneaking suspicion that you've completely wrecked the internal structure of the game with all the cheats you use, but it won't stop you.)

5. You test a couple's genetic compatibility when you create your families to make sure they'll have cute babies.

6. You always seem to go broke immediately, even if you only buy a table and a bookcase.

7. You end up selling random things around your house--like the garage--to keep your sims afloat.

8. You frantically save your game every time your sims use the stove, just in case they catch on fire and die.

9. You spent countless hours scrolling through hair mods--and then crossed your fingers each time you downloaded something in case it was actually a virus.

10. It made you feel extremely productive to live vicariously through your sims, both of which regularly got promotions for playing chess and reading mechanical books.