The Christmas Eve edition of the Boston Sunday Globe showcased the essence of a local newspaper’s mission – the production of stories that reckon fully and deeply with issues of community interest and importance.

In this instance, the front page and multiple pages inside spoke loudly and clearly and in detail with impressive takeouts on rent control and the preposterous Green Line track saga; with an explainer story about the positive implications of a new drug treatment for sickle cell anemia; and with an enticing essay touting art appreciation as a source of emotional health.

This cornucopia of enlightening enterprise journalism – introduced on a single page, told with clarity of purpose, and presented with graphical elan – spoke to how newspaper teams, unleashed, can inform the citizens they serve.

For those holdouts who still like to read their news and opinions and feature stories on newsprint, this overflow of riches probably felt like a holiday present from the Globe.