St Mirren manager Danny Lennon was delighted with the 4-3 win at Tannadice that heaped further misery on Dundee United.
David van Zanten got in on the act, scoring his first goal in six years, as Saints came from 2-1 down to record just their second away win of the campaign.
"It's a fantastic three points for us and a terrific way to finish 2012,"
Lennon said.
"The key thing for us and our success today was the work-rate for the players individually and, more importantly, as a team.
"We're just going to ask the boys for one last push before a welcome break and
look for the same commitment, the same work ethic and the same quality.
Saints hope to have a new recruit for Wednesday's visit of Kilmarnock, in the shape of Newcastle midfielder Conor Newton on a six-month loan.
Van Zanten's goal means he will not have to don a mankini and sing 'Like a Virgin' in front of fans - a fate that would have befallen him had he not scored this season.
The right-back, who had not scored since 2006 while he was at Hibernian, said: "A couple of my team-mates are raging, but it's more important we got the three points."
