Naturally enough, seeing as our relationship has grown and flourished over this first tender year into something quite special... (you lot and us lot... we've got a thing going on) we wanted to get you something nice for Christmas to seal our smoochy-luve. so, we went to our music writers and asked each of them to select their own very favourite music-related article that they got to write this year, to fetch from our archive for you..
the resulting list, below, is actually one of the damn-finest collections of music writing we can remember seeing, anywhere, ever. we loved reading it all again & we think you will too. enjoy..

Peter Murphy gets on the bus with Zen cowboy Willie Nelson:

Kim Porcelli hears Streets poetry from Mike Skinner:

Colin Carberry has a perfect moment in Belfast's Botanic Gardens:

Stuart Clark meets Howlin' Pelle and gets a new favourite band:

Hannah Hamilton finds a fitter, happier Feeder:

James Kelleher takes the train with DJ Shadow:

Paul Nolan goes intergalactic-planetary over Supergrass:

Eamon McCann admires Ani DiFranco's straight talking:

...and Nadine O'Regan finds she's not a half bad musician, either:

Eamon Sweeney meets punk "recording engineer" and general wise man Steve Albini:

John Walshe says, y'all get the Reindeer Section's new album, y'hear!:

Helen Toland swaps L.A. stories with David Holmes:

Phil Udell takes a Turn for the better in Phoenix Park:

Colm O'Hare lets Thomas Walsh out of Pugwash tear the world a new arsehole:

Marc O'Sullivan records the musings of "quirky Cork band" (c) Fred:

Sarah McQuaid gets her heart's desire listening to Niamh Parsons:

Barry Glendenning avoids sitting in dogs' piss at Ozzy Osbourne's:

Colm Walsh listens as So Solid Crew blame everything on the tabloids:

Jackie Hayden recalls the glory of Rory Gallagher:

Simon Roche watches The Vines in front of a home crowd:

Stephen Robinson meets head Head David Byrne:

Oliver P. Sweeney is awed by the Hayes & Cahill gig of a lifetime:

and last but not least, Fiona Reid lingers in the Singles department:
'Weak Become Heroes', The Streets
'Time To Bleed EP', Woodstar
'Six Days', DJ Shadow
'Black Rooster EP', The Kills
'Country Fair'/'Bang', Moldy Peaches/Yeah Yeah Yeahs

That should keep you til next year, anyway... see you then.