In childhood, a parental warning at this time of year was the threat of a lump of coal in your Christmas stocking if you didn’t behave. Now that most furnaces are gas, oil, or electric, there probably are fewer people who would still recognize a lump of coal, but it’s a good motif nonetheless. So let’s review the year and figure out who’s on the list for a lump of coal in their stocking, and who deserves a present.
