But, speaking as reader, I find them useful not just to recall the year but also to catch up on things I missed. Between articles, videos, podcasts, graphics, recipes and visual essays, The Times puts out several hundred items every day. Many gems within that torrent will inevitably slip past even the most dedicated reader.

For the holiday edition I’ve gone through and sorted out our year-end offerings, at least the ones which have been posted up until this point. The list below isn’t a complete accounting of our look-backs. But it should provide enough reading to fill anyone’s holiday downtime.