To all of our readers who celebrate the day, we wish you and yours a wonderful Christmas, which we hope will be filled with only the best of times.

The past few years — and in fact the past few days — have not been the easiest of times. We are mindful that many among us are facing a variety of difficulties, but we thank you for sharing a little bit of your time with us this week and every week, and we look forward to brighter days ahead.

Merry Christmas!