… and all through the land, nothing was stirring, not even trucks weighted with sand. The first snowfall had come and before it went, it dumped three and a half feet on Eustis, where the mountainous snowbanks must now pay rent. (Wouldn’t that be nice?)

Of course, that’s just fancy, snowbanks don’t pay. (Unless you’re an entrepreneur with a plow, then get out of the way.) With Christmas close, list-making must cease, so St. Nick can make his gift rounds (maybe this is the year for world peace?)

So here’s our Christmas list, unabridged, nothing held back. (Like someone looking for bailout, it’s best just to ask.) We don’t expect all, just some would make us merry; these items aren’t for everyone … in other words, your Christmas wish list may vary.

• We want the best for the state’s $838 million budget deficit, which promises to dominate every second of Augusta’s attention over coming months. Lawmakers must use sense and reject proposals to cheapen Maine government, and endorse those that make it better.

• We want Lewiston and Auburn to relax concerns about consolidation and realize the savings are worth it. Not only can the cities save money for taxpayers, they can raise their collective coinage as the models of collaborative government in Maine and maybe beyond.

• We want a 12-month period without some juvenile racial incident, be it pig’s head, dog poster or something ham-related, thrusting this region into an uncomfortable spotlight, which only treats this community with unfair harshness and leaves an undeserved reputation.

• We want Sens. Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe to live up to the hype. Every day, it seems, another ranking member of the punditocracy declares them the most powerful senators alive. Talk about a mandate – we hope our senators, who are accustomed to roles as thorns in their party’s side, can become key consensus builders.

• We want a rebound at the Auburn Mall, which took some hits this year. The mall’s revival is a symbol to L-A’s growth, and its health is important to the economy and the community.

• We want Helen Poulin, the erstwhile Androscoggin county commissioner, to yield her seat with dignity, to punctuate the county’s tumultuous 2008 with some needed grace.

• We want infighting in Rumford to finally stop. It’s a good town with good people, who if they stopped focusing on minutia and personalities, could get things done. The latest flap, over rumfordfire.org, could have been handled with a phone call, not a meeting. If Rumford’s leaders think about the big picture, instead of endless distractions, 2009 will be a better year.

• And finally, we want Bates Mill No. 5 to be settled.

It’s quite the list, of items big and small, only a glutton would expect them all.

Yet there’s hope for some, that’s about all we can say. Oh wait, one more thing:

Merry Christmas to all, from us at the SJ.