Mississippians are eating leftover Christmas cookies and planning New Year's parties. People who just can't take a break from politics — even during the holidays — are engaging in another wintertime ritual: Talking about the potential movers and shakers for the upcoming legislative session.

The 122 members of the House and 52 members of the Senate convene on Jan. 6, and they know, coming in, that writing the budget will be the biggest, toughest task of their three months in Jackson. Like many other states, Mississippi is struggling with anemic tax collections because of the terrible condition of the national economy.

All of this, of course, makes the guardians of the state's piggy bank the most important people at the Capitol. And that's why the two Appropriations Committees chairmen — Johnny Stringer in the House and Alan Nunnelee in the Senate — top the list of the most influential lawmakers for 2009.

Stringer, D-Montrose, is entering his 29th year in the House and sixth as chairman of Appropriations. He has been a farmer for three decades and is accustomed to fickle weather.

"I've been through dry weather and rain and hail," Stringer said this fall. "The budget seems to be the same way as farming. I'm concerned, but I can deal with it."

Nunnelee, R-Tupelo, has been in the Senate since 1995 and starting his second year as head of Appropriations. Like Stringer, Nunnelee is an even-tempered realist who knows how to say no to state agency directors who might seek more than their share of money.

Most legislators expect to approve a cigarette tax increase during the 2009 session, now that Republican Gov. Haley Barbour has removed his long-standing objection.

All action begins in the House Ways and Means Committee, headed by Democrat Percy Watson of Hattiesburg, or in its equivalent on the other end of the Capitol — the Senate Finance Committee, headed by Republican Dean Kirby of Pearl.

At 18 cents a pack, Mississippi's current excise tax is one of the lowest in the nation.

Barbour proposes adding 24 cents a pack on premium brands and 43 cents on off-brands. Health advocates want a significantly larger increase. The governor's ideas are just a starting point, and Watson and Kirby will have great influence in the final amount.

Other top lawmakers are those setting a course for Medicaid, the health program for low-income Mississippians. The program has had budget problems for years, and lawmakers can expect a reprise of the 2008 fight over imposing a hospital tax to cover part of the expenses.

Democrat Hob Bryan of Amory is chairman of the Senate Public Health Committee. Two groups in the House will tackle the issue — the Public Health Committee, headed by Democrat Steve Holland of Plantersville, and the Medicaid Committee, where Democrat Dirk Dedeaux of Perkinston is chairman.

Two Republican senators from fast-growing DeSoto County, Doug Davis and Merle Flowers, will be active during the 2009 session.

Davis leads the Universities Committee, and he wants to give each of the eight institutions its own governing board. His proposal is sure to generate support from people who believe the smaller universities are overlooked by the current College Board and opposition from people who say separate boards will only create more bureaucratic battles.

Flowers was an advocate for open-government legislation in 2008 and appears likely to stay on that course.

Several freshman senators are worth watching as they begin their second year at the Capitol. Among them are Republicans Chris McDaniel of Ellisville, Michael Watson of Pascagoula and Lee Yancey of Brandon, and Democrats David Baria of Bay St. Louis and David Blount of Jackson.

In the House, Democrats Angela Cockerham of Magnolia and David Norquist of Cleveland are among the up-and-coming lawmakers. Each took office after winning a special election in 2005, and each has been handling larger, more complex responsibilities.