What? Can Christmas really be just a few days away? Is that really possible?

Well, it must be true, because this issue of the Faribault County Register is our annual “Good News” edition. You can consider it our Christmas gift to all of our readers.

We try to fill it with nothing but Good News, but of course that is not always the case. We are going to have obituaries in this issue, and a death of a loved one at Christmas is not always easy. We have to have stories of local governmental bodies raising our taxes, because that is what happens this time of year. And, of course, our local teams of Buccaneers, Rebels and Longhorns don’t always win games and matches but let me tell you, it is not if you win or lose, it is how you play the game. I heard that somewhere, a lot of years ago.

But from front page to back page, you are going to find a whole lot of stories that hopefully will warm your heart and put a smile on your face.

Speaking of smiles, you are also going to find a lot of photos of smiling people, old and young, in this week’s Register. And when I say a lot, I mean a lot.

We strive for a variety of different stories, and maybe some you know about, and maybe a few you had not heard of.

In this issue you will meet a high school student from Wells who saved a man’s life, and a high school student from Jackson who has the biggest smile ever and has a fan club in Blue Earth. You will see some folks who see a need and try to fill it, from creating a food pantry in Bricelyn and trying to create an inclusive playground in Blue Earth, to others who are making sure every kid gets a toy and every special needs person gets a gift at Christmas.

There is a story about some folks starting a restaurant in Easton and a bank president in Blue Earth who once hauled garbage. There are stories about things you maybe knew about and perhaps a few you did not. Is there really a women’s study group in Blue Earth that has been in existence since 1883? And that it has origins to Chautauqua, New York? And, who knew that a beloved former Blue Earth Area teacher gave a large anonymous donation to build a trail in a Blue Earth nature park?

That is some pretty good news.

Even our ads in this week’s Register are happy ones. I hope you take a few minutes to peruse them as well as the stories, in between your holiday celebrations. The ads are sometimes full of good news, too.

I know what you might be thinking. The Register has good news in it pretty much every week. And I agree with that, as we try and have some good news stories each and every week.

I can attest to the fact that we accomplish that task, since I just got done looking through every single issue that was published in 2024. Why did I do that, you ask? Well, it is because I am working on creating our annual “Top 10 Stories of the Year” edition which will appear in next week’s issue.

As I looked through all those newspapers, one thing I did notice was the number of stories that were good news, and all the number of photos of happy, smiling people. Oh sure, not all the news was happy. Just like life isn’t always giving us good news.

But this week of Christmas, we take some time to be with family and friends, and all of us at the Register wish you a happy, blessed, meaningful Christmas.

And may you have more good news in your life than bad news.

Happy reading.