Folks, you are the gift that keeps on giving.

But we are closing the doors at The Daily News Christmas Cheer Fund for another year. It is time to return the work place to a state approaching normal.

What a run it has been!

The elves finally have quit counting and checking and double-checking, and the final figure is here.

This year, your Christmas Cheer Fund will distribute a record $101,261.30 to five local charities.

With The Daily News picking up all administrative costs associated with the operation of the Christmas Cheer Fund, five local charities each will be presented with an equal share.

A couple of months ago, the fund’s selection committee chose the Kamloops Food Bank, Marjorie Willoughby Snowden Memorial Hospice Home, New Life Mission, Pregnancy Care Centre of Kamloops, and YMCA-YWCA Y Women's Emergency Shelter as this year’s beneficiaries.

Those charities obviously have some impact in our community because our readers have never given the way they have over the past few weeks.

The previous record for giving was from 2010, when you donated $83,736.74. Last season’s total was $82,676.00.

Those numbers are really nice, but you have to admit that $101,261.30 just kind of rolls of the tongue, like caramel sauce dripping off a spoon on to Christmas pudding.

This was your fund’s 11th season of existence and you now have given us $578,138.98 to distribute to local charities.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you, too, to this season’s final donor. The head elf dropped in one cent just to even things up, you understand. Now you know why we love her so around here — she looks after all the little things.

And it’s the little things that have made your Christmas Cheer Fund so big.

That’s it for this edition.

We’ll see you in November.

* * *

TODAY’S CHEER:

Doreen Livingstone $50

Anonymous $25

Anonymous $50

Anonymous $92.24

Shannon and Del Schneider $200

Anonymous $0.01

TODAY’S TOTAL: $417.25

PREVIOUS TOTAL: $100,844.05

OVERALL TOTAL: $101,261.30