Merry Christmas.

Merry Christmas.

Again, again.

Oh, rubber.

Rudolph, the red nose reindeer.

A slimy nose.

Slimy nose?

Shamy nose.

Shiny nose.

Christmas of 2022 has arrived.

Whether you're hearing this on Christmas Day itself or sometime after,

let me extend my warmest wishes of the season

and my deep thanks for being with the Christmas Past family for another season.

Whether you've been listening since the beginning in 2016,

just joined us this year or somewhere in between, I'm glad you're

here with us one more time for 2022 as we continue this annual tradition, the seventh year running,

where we take a look back at this year's Christmas and review the things that made it what

it was. It's a bit about reminiscing and a bit about capturing these things for the record, because, starting tomorrow, Christmas of 2022 belongs to Christmas past.

This year had a bit of an out-of-the-frying pan and into the fire feel to it.

The last two Christmases were dampened by the pandemic in so many ways, and just as we turn the corner on much of that, we found ourselves facing inflation

in a way we haven't had to deal with in a while and concerns of a looming recession.

Reports came out throughout the season and from across the country about families scaling

...