The holidays are officially upon us, and the staff at The Times would like to take this opportunity to thank the community of Fountain Hills for letting us be a part of your lives for another year.

Over the coming weeks, we’ll be doing a top 10 stories countdown and yearly wraps in case you need a refresher on what a roller coaster of a year 2016 has been. But we’ve all taken the good and the bad in stride and, soon, we’ll all embark on a journey into a brand new year together.

Before that can happen, though, we’ve still got a holiday season to get through. Santa Claus is coming to town this weekend and, just one week later; it’ll be time to ring in 2017.

We encourage everyone to get out and enjoy this special time of year with friend and family. Make some new memories to tell us all about through letters to the editor or Fountain Spouts submissions.

Or, on the other hand, maybe you’re in the mood for a nice, quiet holiday without all of the craziness that comes along with planning, traveling and the like. There’s nothing wrong with taking this opportunity to just relax and get in some “me time.”

Whichever way you choose to spend the holidays, we ask only two things: Stay safe and enjoy yourself.