Christmas Day is here! May your holiday be full of fun, food, maybe a few good surprises and lots and lots of joy.

We’ve been doing this countdown together for a few years now, and you don’t need me to remind you that in this timeline, joy can be hard to come by. Or, at least, it can be hard to lean into that joy when there’s so much to despair about, to worry over, to make you feel mad or sad or discouraged or even defeated.

I get all that, but as I wrap up this year and start another new one, the idea that I’m keeping top of mind is: don’t let anybody take your joy. I’m trying to think a little like the Whos in Whoville, from “How The Grinch Stole Christmas.” When it looked like they’d lost everything, they looked at the calendar and realized it was still Christmas. “It came! Somehow or other, it came just the same!”

So: whatever 2024 has been, whatever 2025 will be, it’s Christmas today, and this song from The Supremes always brings a little joy to my world on December 25th. Thanks for being part of this year’s countdown, and let’s all get together again next December!