Mario Merry Christmas.jpg
Image: Pakkun96

Time flies when you're having fun, or contemplating the fun still to come. It's hard to believe it's already here, but we want to wish a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all of you; whatever 25th December and the surrounding days mean to you, we hope you have a jolly time.

2016 was an interesting year for Nintendo, and rather like 2015 it's unlikely to go down as one of the company's better years. Nevertheless, it's sure been interesting - we now know what the next generation of Nintendo hardware looks like, while The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild leaves us, well, breathless as we consider its potential. Pokémon went huge on Mobile and kickstarted a new generation on 3DS, while the portable also welcomed some corking games. The Wii U had some high points, too, just not as many as we'd have liked. On top of that Nintendo delighted and infuriated in equal measure with the NES Mini (pro tip for Nintendo, make more of them) and it was another engaging year talking about all things Ninty. Sometimes the big N is amazing, sometimes it irritates us, but we keep coming back for more.

I want to take this chance, as always, to publicly thank the whole Nintendo Life team for their year's work. From those that contribute on a near daily basis, to our ever-determined reviewers, to feature contributors from other channels that share their enthusiasm and talent with us, to developers and talented artists that gave time for interviews, a huge thanks. Nintendo Life is about everyone in that contributes, and it's been a privilege working with so many amazing people in 2016.

Next, a huge thanks to all of you, our readers. In what has been an occasionally bad year for Nintendo you've kept coming back, sharing your views, jokes and perspectives on big N stories that matter, and also the fun ones that don't. We wouldn't be able to do what we do without you, and I'm continually humbled and grateful at the support and how many of you visit these pages every day. Thank you.

Not everyone will agree on everything we write and share, but my goal and that of the team will always be the same - to give you the best content we can. We're Nintendo fans and always try to seek the silver lining and optimistic light, but we also won't shy away from being critical when we feel it's necessary. Yet I think all of us share the same hope - that Nintendo will have a successful and exciting 2017.

Next year promises so much, with the Nintendo Switch, new smart device games, and also some tasty titles still coming to the 3DS in particular. Yet right now is a time to reflect on 2016 and be appreciative of the better moments.

Finally, I'd like to thank you all a final time and say one last thing. Whether you're with family and friends, or spending this period alone, use online communities like this and others as a positive thing in your life. Many times this year when I've had tougher personal moments, generosity and humour online and in this community have made me laugh and smile, making my day better. When I put a dumb reference or joke in an article and someone posts a nice comment about it, that means a lot. I know that applies for all our contributors. I hope all of you find pleasure in sharing with each other too - we only get one 'Nintendo' Life, we should treasure it.

2016 has been such a dramatic year, in games and beyond them in politics, world events and so on. Yet one thing remains important, above all else - be awesome to each other. Positivity and kindness are two of the most important currencies in life - share them. I hope we'll all do that here, a place where Nintendo fans and gamers of all kinds can simply enjoy gaming culture and each other's virtual company.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you all.