In Saturday's paper one line of copy caught my eye.
'It was the biggest gathering at Barry's King Square since the end of World War Two.'
The people of Barry turned up en masse to mark the completion of their £10m library, the refurbishment of Central Park and, importantly, the switching on of their Christmas lights.
This line, written by our Barry man Peter Collins, really caught my eye, capturing as it did the excitement of Christmas and the pride of a town.
Today, just four days later, we sadly have to report that their festive display has been wrecked.
Thoughtless vandals have destroyed the centrepiece of Barry's celebrations - a fantastic looking tree - and caused so much damage that council officials doubt that it can be repaired.
The attack was caught on CCTV and we hope that we will be able to bring you pictures of these louts in the next day or two so that they can face the courts and pay for their actions.
It really is such a shame to see how a handful of hooligans can ruin a whole town's celebrations.
My favourite story in today's paper is the tale of Cardiff locksmith Tony Brown who emulated Richard Gere in the film Officer and a Gentleman and dressed in Navy uniform to sweep the girl of his dreams off her feet.
Tony turned up at Marks and Spencers in Talbot Green and proposed to Martine Diamond.
But did she say yes?
The answer is in tonight's Echo.