The holiday season isn’t only about stressful shopping excursions and even more stressful family get-togethers; it’s also, traditionally, a time for end-of-year lists. Newspapers, magazines, and Web sites are stuffed full of “best-of” selections on every imaginable topic: books, albums, movies, even found grocery lists.

So we’re enlisting our readers to compile another best-of list, one that highlights your favorite stories from 2009. If you’ve encountered examples of bold truth-telling, outstanding analysis, reportorial derring-do, or just fantastic storytelling over the past year, leave a note, and a link, in comments below. They won’t make for a last-minute addition to anyone’s gift list, but they will provide examples of the value, and the fun, that journalism can deliver.