Thanks brdlver and minx!
Re: the temp. agencies; it seems that I haven't had very good luck with them in the past. I could never type fast enough therefore didn't get a lot of call backs. I have a lot of office/clerical experience, just that speed wasn't an issue in those jobs; accuracy was more important.
Minx-hearing that you're spending xmas alone makes me feel as though it's not such a bad thing, in the way that you've described it. I'll just have to wait and see...