One of my favorite parts of any holiday story is the Christmas surprise.

In A Christmas Story, it’s when the Red Ryder BB rifle turns up under the tree after all.

In A Charlie Brown Christmas, it’s when the scrawny real tree gets to show off its full beauty.

In The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, it’s when the rowdy and rambunctious Herdman children create a Nativity scene that’s so real, it cuts to the heart.

Well … now it’s our turn. NextLight has a little surprise of its own, just in time for Christmas.

Namely, we’re turning up the speed.

Ever since NextLight debuted in 2014, we’ve offered two residential speeds: the gigabit connection that’s known all over town  and a lower-cost 25-megabit entry-level connection. But these days, homes use a lot more video over their NextLight fiber – for work, for study, for socializing and fun – and we decided that while 25 megs was a good starting point, it could be better.

So starting today, we’re cranking that entry-level service up to 100 megabits at no change in the price. That means $39.95 for most customers, $14.95 for those on an income-qualified discount, and no charge at all for families receiving a Sharing The NextLight connection for their children.

There’s nothing to unwrap – just a connection that runs like Rudolph. It’s our gift to Longmont. (And remember, if you get a friend to sign up for NextLight service, you can give a gift to yourself as well by getting a discount on your next month’s bill.)

So have a great holiday, everyone. May all of us stay connected and close in heart, even when we’re otherwise distant.

And may this be just the first of many welcome surprises in the year to come.