As the holiday season approaches and the year 2025 winds to a close, we are pleased to bring you another issue of The Gettysburg Experience. Our Calendar of Events is full of celebratory occasions leading up to the New Year; many of them are family-friendly; some are free of charge. The Calendar begins on page 11.

There is a selection of historical articles for your enjoyment and perusal, beginning with A Quest Fulfilled, on page 21, where a final kindness was issued. Christmas in Pennsylvania, beginning on page 27, highlights the historical aspect of some of Pennsylvania’s cherished traditions, from colonial times to the late 19th century. Next, a plaintive holiday story, but no doubt one that was joyous at the time, is George Shriver’s Last Christmas, beginning on page 33. A prominent Gettysburg citizen is remembered in Basil Biggs: A Son of Goodwill, beginning on page 37. And, a Union soldier’s service in December 1862 is chronicled in A Bucktail to the Rescue, beginning on page 41.

Don’t forget our Trivia Questions, found at the bottom of every odd-numbered page (except for the center – our Map of Gettysburg is there). To ace the Trivia, be sure to read the articles first. Answers are located on page 45.

For your convenience, we offer an Advertisers’ Directory on page 46. We appreciate our many advertisers. They provide the only funds for our publication. Please stop in at their establishments and see what they have to offer. We do, and can highly recommend them to you.

Thank you for choosing The Gettysburg Experience. We wish you and your loved ones a safe and happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year.