This one's extra tough for me because the 17th/18th weekend is before my winter vacation starts (it starts on the 23rd), but the 7th/8th weekend is approximately the time of my Mid-Year exams, and as any American public student will know, these are do-or-die tests.
However, reading through these last 100 or so posts, I see that I am not alone with scheduling conflicts. I've also noticed that there is a relatively narrow margin between the selected weekends. Thus, I am proposing TWO THACs this year. IX A, and IX B. I am aware of the double-feature THAC V, but this is a very different situation.
Here's how it would work:
THAC IX A is December 17th to December 18th.
THAC IX B is January 7th to January 8th.
If one enters IX A, they will NOT be allowed to enter IX B.
In essence, they would be two contests, each with their own theme and mods. All other rules apply as normal. I would be willing to run THAC IX A, as Hazzat stated that he is unavailable for December.