The only thing I like more at this time of year than the valid excuses to shop, pig out and hang with friends and fam are the annual roundups of the year's top stories. Here are the highlights from some of my faves so far:

1. Today's Globe and Mail features Judith Timson's article, The news in 2010: What made me sink, what made me think. Check out her musings on Sarah Palin, Rob Ford, Russell Williams and more, plus her favourite quote of 2010.
2. Google has a handy film, Zeitgeist 2010: Year in Review, that reveals the year that was through the lens of the year's most popular search terms. It has an American focus, but it's worth checking out all the same.
3. In celebrity news, People.com has a whole section of their site devoted to the Best of 2010 in style, entertainment, news, romance and babies. So if Jersey Shore and Lindsay Lohan are among your guilty pleasures, this is a great place to get your fix.
4. Yahoo! Canada has a site set up to showcase a review of the standout news, pop culture trends and Internet searches of the year with a special section devoted to the Winter Games 2010.
5. Twitter has revealed the top 10 most retweeted tweets of the year. You can check 'em out here. (Warning: people tweet naughty words.)

What have I learned? Everyone went coo coo crazy for Justin Bieber this year. And love her or hate her, Sarah Palin was big news. People were inspired by the Chilean Miners and disgusted by BP. What was the most important news story for you in 2010? Leave a comment and let us know.