For those who celebrate Christmas, you already know that unless you come from a particularly affluent family, many items on your wish list will remain wishes even after Santa makes his worldwide tour on Dec. 24. As the famed lyrics go, “You can’t always get what you want.”

But at the same time, you never know what you might get unless you ask. And so this year, as Christmas approaches a Rhode Island whose eastern portion is currently crippled by a beleaguered bridge (thank goodness Santa can fly), we thought it would be nice to assemble a list of wishes likely being made by some of our local leaders and prominent people this season; all in good, holiday fun of course.

On the bridge topic, one wish seems to have, miraculously, already come true. While Peter Alviti won’t be getting a brand new west-bound portion of the Washington Bridge in time for Christmas, to many peoples’ amazement, the DOT did manage to quickly assemble a bypass that has functioned remarkably well less than a week after the initial closure of the bridge. They may be ruing what they wished for, however, as people may wonder in the New Year — if DOT is capable of such staggering efficiency, will we see that kind of quick work on projects elsewhere?

In Warwick, we’re betting Mayor Frank Picozzi would love nothing more than to see bids come in at a decently close mark to his $8 million estimate for the city’s planned outdoor skating rink; but we would argue he might want to wish for the weather to consistently drop below 40 degrees during December and January instead.

We know that the Rhode Island Airport Corporation and Iftikhar Ahmad are hoping to find a nonstop flight to London from T.F. Green under the tree this year, but he may have to settle for hosting Taylor Swift’s private jet in the meantime.

Everybody in Warwick and the surrounding area are definitely wishing for a longer green light signal while traveling south into Hoxsie Four Corners; except for those twisted individuals whose only wish for the holidays is to sit in more traffic.

In Cranston, Mayor Ken Hopkins is hoping for lots of business at Top Golf, maybe a groundbreaking for Costco, and for people to get behind his vision for Budlong Pool. As a stocking stuffer, he’s also probably hoping that Rep. Barbara Ann Fenton-Fung doesn’t challenge his seat in 2024 (cue The Rolling Stones).

Speaker Shekarchi is wishing for his ambitious plan for creating more housing in the state to brilliantly succeed and overshadow the torch-carrying members of local zoning boards and historic district committees who say the state’s new laws will trample local authority on policing new developments — but a gift certificate for a free breakfast at Gel’s Kitchen is never a bad get either.

Here at Beacon Communications, we’re a simple bunch. We wish that artificial intelligence doesn’t take our jobs too quickly, that people continue to find value in strong, persistent local reporting, and that in an age of decaying civility in public discourse, we can continue to find ways to reach compromise and understanding with people who think differently; and that freedom of speech, the press, and all of the other rights we so often take for granted are protected in the coming years.

Happy holidays, and a Merry Christmas, to all!