Merry Christmas

Christmas is coming this week, and it has been on my mind quite a bit. I know that Christmas is one of those holidays that means different things to different people. That makes the holiday very personal. I don't know how you celebrate the holiday, but I thought I might share a few thoughts about what Christmas means to me.

I've been listening to Christmas music for weeks now. (Haven't we all?) It seems to permeate everything this time of year, and I often find myself singing along after only a few notes. Some songs are focused on the season, some on friends and family, and others on Christmas traditions. Other songs, the ones that have the most meaning to me, are focused on the babe in a manger who is at the root of all of the annual festivities. It is he to whom I find my thoughts repeatedly returning.

You see, I believe in Christ. I know that not everyone does, and I have no problem with that. Belief is a choice, and my choice is belief in Christ. That belief starts with the babe in the manger, but grows to a hope centered on the eternal gift offered by that child.

In the Wyatt home this year, Christmas will be quiet. We had most of our progeny with us on Thanksgiving, so they won't be here for Christmas. My wife and I will, nonetheless, read Luke's recounting of the annunciation and birth of the child. We will give to each other nativities and ornaments that help us focus on that babe in the manger. We will sing "Silent Night," contemplate the blessings we enjoy, and allow our believing hearts to fill to overflowing with gratitude.

On Christmas Day we will, no doubt, have a special meal, even if it is a meal for just two. We will open gifts and enjoy our time with each other. Even though it is just the two of us, the Christ child will very much be with us.

However and wherever you celebrate Christmas, I hope it is a peaceful, happy, and important day for you. I wish you nothing but the best this year and always.

Merry Christmas to you and yours.

—Allen
     

ExcelTips (ribbon) for 20 December 2025
Formulas
Creating a Calendar

If you want to create a calendar in Excel, one way to do it is to use the dynamic array functions available in Microsoft 365. This tip looks at formulas of progressing complexity that can return anything from the dates in a month's calendar to all the headings in the calendar.

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(Thanks to Barry Keattch, Steve Aprahamian, Michael Avidan (MVP), Ryszard Raciborski, Brian Dorey, Leslie Glasser, Andrija Vrcan, Chris Gregory, and Thomas Reeves for contributing to this tip.)

 
Excel can calculate date in lightening time
Moving Part of a Footer Down a Line

Setting up a single footer line for your printouts is fairly easy. If you want to move part of the footer down a line so that the footer occupies two lines, well that can be tricky.

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Are You Foundering at Filtering?

We have all experienced the frustration inherent with using Excel filters. Stop foundering when filtering your data by getting your copy of ExcelTips: Filters and Filtering today. More info available online.

 
Linking workbooks
Updating Workbook Links

When you establish links between data on a target worksheet and data on a source worksheet, those links are typically updated when you open the target workbook or choose to print the workbook. If you want to manually update the links at some other time, however, you can use the steps in this tip.

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Find and Replace
Finding and Replacing in Text Boxes

Finding and replacing information in a worksheet is easy. Finding and replacing in other objects (such as text boxes or chart labels) is a different story entirely. This tip examines ways you can find and replace information in these other items.

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Help Wanted

This section is for those having problems making Excel behave. If Excel is giving you fits, feel free to submit your own Help Wanted question.

If you have a solution for the problems below, click the link after the problem to send us your answer. (All responses become the sole property of Sharon Parq Associates, Inc., and can be used in any way deemed appropriate.) If your response is used in a future issue, you will be credited for your contribution to the answer.

 
Establishing a Naming Convention

I'm designing a large workbook that has dozens of worksheets. I need to create many names in the workbook for things like ranges, tables, formulas, and constants. I know I won't be the only one to maintain this workbook down the road, so I'm trying to develop an understandable naming convention for the names. What is best practice in this area?
—Nate Silverman (provide an answer for this Help Wanted question)

 
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