We hope Santa came to your house and left at least a few goodies last week.

For many — especially area youngsters — the past week was the most exciting week of the year. But with gifts unwrapped, trees coming down and only leftovers on which to munch, it is time to reflect before we move on to 2013.

Here are a few highlights Santa brought our entire community last week.

– The Children’s Christmas Tree Fund and the Santa Claus Committee partnered to make Monday a great day for many who might not have otherwise had a wonderful season. The committee led its annual Santa parade through town, tossing out candy to dozens of children and leading Santa to Braden School, where he passed out toys to needy children. We are fortunate to have both groups in our community, and we thank those who work so hard to make the season bright.

– Natchez High graduate Pearl Morgan was home for Christmas, but she’ll soon be back at college and working to get her mentoring program for teenagers off the ground at Provine High School. Morgan dreamed up the program while in high school herself, and now she’s working to impact the lives of other students. She’s certainly making us all proud.

– Christmas in Natchez officially wrapped up, and organizers are happy with how the season went. The volunteer-run event has grown a bit each year for several years now, and we love seeing the city light up each year.

Today is the end of 2012 — a great year in so many ways. But tomorrow, the future begins. Happy New Year; we know 2013 will be great.