Photo by pnzr242.

Good morning, Washington. If my experience while walking the streets of Washington last night was any indication, the city has firmly packed things in in advance of the Christmas weekend. It was eerily quiet out there — even though it was a Wednesday evening, I couldn’t help but think that a whole lot of you are just ready for this long year to be over with. At least there’s some good news to go out on: Fox 5 reports that Mei Xiang and Tian Tian, the National Zoo’s beloved panda pair, will be sticking around into the new year, despite the fact that their loan agreement expires at the end of 2010. Chinese authorities will allow the pair to stay in D.C. while they hammer out a new deal. This is a very excellent thing, indeed — I just don’t think this city would be able to emotionally handle the loss of our pandas over the holidays.

Firefighter Shot, Drives Self To Hospital: A unidentified, off-duty D.C. firefighter was shot several times last night inside his car — but somehow managed to drive his silver BMW, riddled with bullet holes, to Washington Hospital Center. TBD reports that the firefighter is 25 years old and a six-year veteran of the department, but has been on unpaid leave since March. The firefighter remains in critical condition. It’s still unclear where the shooting actually took place.

Groomes Back On The Job: Well-regarded Metropolitan Police Department Assistant Chief Diane Groomes was reinstated to full duty yesterday by MPD Chief Cathy Lanier. Groomes was suspended from the force in November after she allegedly provided police commanders with answers an open-book test. The Post reports that Lanier reinstated Groomes after concluding that Groomes did not “compromise” the test with her actions. Fraternal Order of Police chairman Kristopher Baumann was confused by the move, calling the way the suspension was handled “careless.” Groomes, a very visible member of the department who experienced an outpouring of support in light of the allegations, said the she “look[s] forward to continuing the job that I love doing.”

Briefly Noted: Baby found safe after being in backseat when ZipCar was stolen…Civil liberties groups collecting signatures petitioning bag searches at Metro stations…South Dakota Avenue NE temporarily closed after crash…43 years after wrongful accusation, man sues Virginia town for $200 million…Police discover Maryland man’s indoor marijuana farm after car crashes into his house.

This Day in DCist: Last year, Abdo Development announced new plans on land owned by Catholic University including “a public square, a clock tower and a college main street with bookstores and mom-and-pop shops”; in 2008, the commentariat debated Oasis’ rock relevance.