WOO-HOO!!
I'll be back in Madrid for New Years!! Still not quite sure why my parents have given me the go-ahead, but I've got my ticket so there's no stopping me now!
Spent all last year studying in Madrid, but was traveling through Italy over the holiday. Florence for New Years was fun, but this year I'll be eating grapes in Sol!!
And the best part is I got the ticket cheap (or what I consider cheap.... my last ticket to Madrid was over $1000, so it's all relative).
But I found the deal on Studentuniverse.com: December 29-January 11th, $440 all fees inclusive.
Ahhhh, Christmas will not come soon enough!!!

The first four crossings I made were through AirHitch ( www.airhitch.com ), a standby service. I got Air France flights each time. The last time was really dicey, but at the last minute I got a seat. As I remember my LA-Paris fare was $170 each way. The fares now in October from Madrid to NY are €300 round trip, and not much more to LA.