Half a dozen things that made us smile in the past 12 months.

Another year gone, another big pile of despair to add to the fire of eternal misery. But it wasn’t all wailing, gnashing of teeth and interminable Brexit chat in 2019. Here were six moments that gave us hope during a challenging 12 months.

Two years ago, England cricketer Mr Ben Stokes was left out of the squad to travel to Australia for the Ashes as he awaited trial following a scuffle outside a nightclub in Bristol. Eventually found not guilty of affray, Mr Stokes’ long road back to glory was completed this summer in two remarkable performances that had previously sceptical people conceding that actually, yes, cricket wasn’t totally boring. First he steered England to a World Cup victory when the jaws of defeat looked a tempting resting place for a nation’s hopes and dreams. Again. Weeks later, his incredible 135 not out in the third Ashes test at Edgbaston was instantly regarded as one of the best ever seen in test cricket. Never mind that England lost the series. He romped home to win BBC Sports Personality Of The Year last week, confirming his satisfying transformation from pariah to national hero.

A sure sign that the general tenor of 2019 had got A Bit Much Actually in October when the nation collectively lost its mooring over a screenshotted note from the protagonist of the hit DVD series Brand New Body Workout. It’s a tale as old as time. Girl meets boy. Girl marries boy. Girl becomes friendly with other girls who have married boys in same profession. Girl begins planting fake tales about herself on Instagram Stories in order to reveal who is leaking information to tabloid newspapers. Ms Coleen Rooney’s “Wagatha Christie” saga was a desperately needed moment of levity, intrigue and high-grade gossip in a tumultuous time. The 10-dot ellipsis between the “It’s” and the dénouement launched a thousand memes.

If there is a criticism of Ms Greta Thunberg, it’s that her narrative arc is a little on the nose – an unsullied child sacrificing her adolescence in order to warn the wrong-headed elders about the error of their ways. If it weren’t real life, you’d reject it as the work of a heavy-handed fiction writer. What cannot be faulted is the climate activist’s dedication to her cause, probably the most urgent of our time. The clarity with which she has delivered her message earned her Time magazine’s Person Of The Year award. Less prestigious, but certainly far more fun, is the level of offence she inspires in those who complain about everyone else being too easily offended.

Traditionally the preserve of future forecasts and thrilling city-management video games, the prospect of nuclear fusion power moved a significant step closer this year. A cleaner source of power than traditional nuclear fission, fusion could be the renewable energy source that rescues us from obliteration. ITER, a 35-nation fusion experiment in the south of France, announced it was close to completion. It may not be up to powering cities until 2050, though, so best not to start booking your bonus long-haul holidays just yet.

We’ve come a long way from the furore over Jay-Z headlining Glastonbury in 2008, when idiotic comments from Mr Noel Gallagher felt significant enough for Mr Shawn Carter to open his set with a half-arsed cover of “Wonderwall”. No such pandering to the rockists from Stormzy, whose Pyramid Stage headline set spanned his grime roots on “Shut Up” to his evolution into a hook-heavy pop star with “Crown”. Wearing a stab-proof vest Union Jacked-up by Banksy, his brilliance as a performer obliterated all before him.

None of us is immune from the heartstring-tugging shock of an “and finally” news item that gets you right in the feelings. The story of five-year-old Michael from Michigan inviting his kindergarten class to witness his legal adoption did just that. Michael, relaxing into an office chair in court while wearing a charming bow tie and waistcoat combo, was backed by a row of pals waving hearts on sticks. “My name is Lily and I love Michael,” a little girl told the judge overseeing the moment when Michael was welcomed into his new family. We have something in our eye.