Merry Christmas one and all. As we bring the seventeenth Perl Advent Calendar to close for another year, we extend our season's greetings and warm wishes to Perl programmers throughout the world.

In Numbers:

Each year I'm amazed by the work the volunteers for the Perl Advent Calendar do without complaint or recompense. To put it in context this year we managed:

• 7,002 lines (with the longest article being 1,015 lines long!)

• 40,052 words

• 341,911 characters

• 11 images

• 5 data files

• 7 extra example scripts

• 22 authors

• 310 commits (so far, we still haven't found all the typos..)

That's an amazing job everyone, well done!

With Thanks

Year after year the Perl Advent Calendar is our gift to you the Perl Community. The Perl Advent Calendar hopes to teach you all a little something more about Perl in a fun and playful way. Sometimes we focus more on the teaching, making things clearer and easier for every Perl programmer to understand. And sometimes we focus just on the fun...

#!perl
eval eval '"'.


                                                       '#'.'!'.(
                               '['^'+').(('`')|       '%').('['
                               ^ ( ( ( ( ( ( ((       ')'))))))
                          )))  .( ( ( ( ( ( ( (      '`'))))))
                  )|',').('!'^ ( ( ( ( ( ( ( '+')))))))).('!'^
              '+').('['^'+').('[' ^ ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ')')))))))))
               .('`'|')').("\`"| ( ( ( ( ( ( '.' ) )))))).''. ('['^
               '/').('{'^'[').''. ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( '\\')))))) ) ) .'"'
                .('`'^'-').('`'| '%' ) . ( ( '[' ) ^')').('[' ^ ( ( ')'
                 ))).+(    '['^'"').('{'^'[').('`'^'#').('`' | ( ( ( ((
           '(')))))).('['^')').("\`"|             ')').('[' ^ ( ( ( '('
       )))).('['^'/').("\`"|  '-').('`'|'!').("\["^    '('). ( ( ( '{'
     ))^+             '[').('`'^'&')          .(('[')^    ')'). ( ( ((
    '`'                  )))|          (            '/'))   .''. ( ((
   '`' ))|'-').('{'        ^+    (     ((              '[')   ))) .+(
  '{'^'/'        ).(       ((    ((    ((                '`')   ))))
  )|"\(").(  '`'| '%')      .    (((   '{'))     ^((       '['   )))
  .''. +(   '{'^    '+')  .+(      ('`')|  ('%')).(          '['  ^+
  ')' ).''. ('`'     |"\,").(   ((                            '{'  )
   )^+   (( ((       '['  ))     ))                            ).( (
  '`')^ ((  ((      '!'   ))      ))).''.    ('`'|'$').('['^    '-')
  .(  '`'|('%')).( '`'  |'.').           ('['^'/').     ("\{"^   '['
  ). ('`'^'#').("\`"|   '!' ).+(     '`'|',')    .('`'|'%') .+(   ((
  '`'))|'.').("\`"| '$') .+(  '`'  |'!')   .('['^"\)").'\\'.     ((
 '"')  ).("\!"^    ('+')). (   "\"");  $:='.'^'~';$~='@'|'(';  $^=
(( ((        (   ')')  )))    )^"\[";$/=    '`'|'.';$,='('^"\}";
$\=  ('`')|  (        '!')   ;$:=   ')'       ^'}';$~='*'|'`';
 $^= ((  ((  (( '+' ))))     ))^     ((        '_'));$/='&'   |'@'
;$,=        (   (( '['))    )&((    '~'         ));($\)=  ','^'|';$:=
'.'^('~');$~=   "\@"| '('   ;$^=(')')^          '[';$/='`'|"\.";   $,=
'('^'}';$\=  ((         "\`"))|    "\!";       $:=')'^'}';$~='*'    |((
   "\`"));  $^=   '+'^"\_";$/=    '&'|'@';$,="\["&  '~';$\=(',')^    ((
    '|'));$:='.'^"\~"; $~='@'|'(';$^=')'^('[');$/=  '`'|('.');$,=     (
    '(')^'}';$\='`'|     '!';$:=')'^'}';$~=('*')|   '`';$^=('+')^     (
   '_');$/='&'|'@';$,=   '['&'~';$\=','^('|');$:=   '.'^('~');$~=     (
   '@')|'(';$^=     (')')^  '[';$/='`'|('.');$,=    '('^('}');$\=     (
   '`')|'!';$:     =((      ((   ')'))))^'}';$~    ='*'|('`');$^=     (
   '+')^"\_";      $/             ='&'|'@';$,=    '['&'~';$\=','      ^
   '|';$:='.'      ^((           ('~')));$~=     '@'|'(';$^=')'^     ((
    "\["));$/=      '`'        |'.';$,='('     ^'}';$\='`'|"\!";     $:
      =')'^'}'       ;($~)   ='*'|'`';$^      ='+'^'_';$/="\&"|     ((
         '@'));       $,='['&'~';$\ =(      ',')^'|';$:='.'^'~'     ;(
             $~)=('@')|    '(';$^=   ')'^ '[';$/='`'|('.');$,=     ((
             '('))^"\}";     ($\)   ='`'|'!';$:=')'^('}');$~=     '*'
             |+  '`';$^='+'^'_';$/='&'|'@';$,='['&('~');$\=      ','
            ^+   '|';$:='.'^'~'    ;      $~='@'|"\(";$^=       ')'
            ^+   '[';$/="\`"|    "\.";       $,="\("^         '}';
            $\    ='`'|'!';     $:=')'^                     "\}";
             $~     ="\*"|    '`';$^='+'^                "\_";$/=
              '&'           |'@';$,='['&"\~";      $\=','^'|';$:
                ="\."^   '~';$~='@'|'(';$^=')'^'[';$/='`'|'.';$,
                   ='('^'}';$\='`'|'!';$:=')'^'}';$~='*'|'`';$^
                          ='+'   ^'_';$/=   '&'|'@';$,='['&'~'
                             ;               $\=','^'|';$:=  (
                             (               (               (
                             (               (               (
                             ((             ((              ((
                              '.')       ))))))            )))
                                )))^"\~";$~= '@'|       "\(";
                                 ( ($^)) =(   ')')^"\[";$/=
                                 ( '`')| (       '.');$, =
                                 ( '(')^ (       '}');$\ =
                                 ( '`')| (       '!');$: =
                               ')' ^'}'; (       $~)='*' |
                             '`'  ;$^='+'^       '_';$/= (
                           '&' )|('@');$,=       '['&'~' ;
                         $\=  ','^'|'; $:=       '.'^'~' ;(
                         $~)=  '@'|'('          ;$^=')'  ^+
                         '[';$/="\`"|           '.';   ($,)
                           =('(')^              '}';$\='`'
                                                   |'!'

Until next year. Happy Holidays!