As 2020 draws to a close, we want to say thank you to all of our loyal readers.

As 2020 draws to a close, we want to say thank you to all of our loyal readers. This has been a year like no other, the sort of tale for which you sincerely hope no sequel will ever be made. It appears that we'll turn the corner on the virus, and with luck, on the economy. There's more to do, on climate action, on equality, on moving from discord to discourse in our public forums. Perhaps this is the year we can say we made a start on those.

Whatever you celebrate – and we have readers all over the world, so we know that includes Christmas, Hanukka, 正月, the solstice, and probably Beltane as well — we wish you the very best of fortune in the new year.

As a gift for the end of the year, I've written a new short story in the world of Knots. Escher and Emeline have brought a tree into the house to decorate, and Trefoil the cat must investigate, of course. There's something not quite right about this tree — they've brought trouble into the house along with it. It's up to Trefoil to guard the house against the mayhem that ensues. If he doesn't get put outside first.