“Christmas was close at hand, in all his bluff and hearty honesty; it was the season of hospitality, merriment, and open-heartedness; the old year was preparing, like an ancient philosopher, to call his friends around him, and amidst the sound of feasting and revelry to pass gently and calmly away.”

                            – an excerpt from The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens

However you celebrate, dear readers, may your holidays be happy and bright, merry and marvelous!  Wishing you all a lovely Christmas day!