There's only a matter of days left to go in 2019 before the year comes to an end and we look ahead to new beginnings and possibilities in 2020.
And in Swansea, it has been an eventful year indeed.
From major new plans getting the go ahead, to the future of some of the city's landmarks being secured or demolished, to tragedy and triumph, there's been plenty of big moments in the city over the course of the last 12 months.
And that's not to mention some of big days out we've all enjoyed.
Take a look back at some of the stand out moments...
The city turned 50
Swansea celebrated 50 years as a city in 2019.
A major programme of events and activities took place to celebrate Swansea’s 50 birthday throughout the year.
As part of the celebrations, Swansea Council asked members of the public to vote for the city's greatest icon.
Kev Johns MBE, well-known throughout the city for his community work, daily breakfast radio show and entertaining football fans at the Liberty Stadium, topped the public vote.
Arena works get given the nod
Construction work began on Swansea's much anticipated 3,500 capacity digital arena scheme, known as Swansea Central Phase One.
Swansea Central phase one comprises the 3,500-capacity arena, and an adjacent coastal park. These developments will sit above a large car park.
A new pedestrian bridge over Oystermouth Road will link this site to a new multi-storey car park and a building containing 15 retail units and 36 flats.
Future of historic Palace theatre secured after fire
A large slice of Swansea's architectural history looked in jeopardy earlier this year when it caught fire.
The Grade II listed building has been empty since 2006 and looked in a sorry state in recent times.
However, firefighters managed to tackled the fires which had been started inside in the nick of time.
Swansea Council later announced the authority had secured a grant of just under £5 million to bring the Palace Theatre back from the brink.
It is understood the council will also contribute to the restoration, which would take two to three years. The end result will be a mix of retail and offices as well as a new community space.
Historic building knocked down
An historic building which was part of the Swansea landscape for almost 200 years was torn down.
The building, at 74-77 The Strand, was most recently the former base of furniture removal and storage company George Brothers.
The reason given by Coastal Housing for the demolition of the four-storey building was due to "health and safety structural concerns".
Three killings which shocked the city
In April, Police in Swansea launched a murder investigation after the death of Sammy-Lee Lodwig in Mount Pleasant.
The 22-year-old's body was found in a basement flat on April 23. She had been gagged and repeatedly slashed and stabbed to the face, neck and chest. Her partner Jason Shaun Farrell was later found guilty and jailed for life with a minimum of 26 years for the brutal murder.
Three months later another murder happened in Swansea. Martial arts expert Colin Payne viciously attacked charity worker Mark Bloomfield following a row in city centre pub The Half Moon.
Mr Bloomfield later died two days afterwards in hospital. Payne, 61, was found guilty of murder and also handed a life sentence - with a minimum term of 15 years.
And a 47-year-old man was convicted of causing the manslaughter of his lover following a row at his house.
shoved Frederic Pallade which such force, the Frenchman fellJones had denied manslaughter, claiming he had only "nudged" his partner out of the house, but was convicted following a trial at Swansea Crown Court.
A half marathon runner died
There were tributes for a popular student who died during the Swansea half marathon.
Wilsern Ong, who studying for a BEng in Environmental Engineering, collapsed just yards from the finishing line.
Swansea's managerial merry go-round continued
Steve Cooper became the latest name to take up the Swansea City manager's job at the Liberty Stadium - after Graham Potter departed for Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion.
Cooper signed a three-year deal following his departure from the England Under-17s set-up.
A whole host of names had previously been linked with the position, but the club’s hierarchy were left impressed by the Pontypridd-born coach’s track record of developing young players. Much was also said about his compatibility with the style of football that has become so often associated with Swansea teams over the years.
Catherine Zeta Jones was given a top honour
The Hollywood actress returned to her home city in July with her husband Michael Douglas and their son Dylan to be honoured with the freedom of the city.
The Oscar-winner hosted an evening of entertainment at the Brangwyn Hall which featured stories, anecdotes and tales of her early Mumbles life through to her award-winning career.
Student flats influx
The Oldway Centre welcomed its first residents for the start of the autumn term, and Omnia, which is in charge of the new development, reported high levels of occupancy.
The wholesale facelift to the building cost more than £30 million, catering for 556 students.
The property has many features, including a games room, a cinema room and 24-hour reception service.
Roy Chubby Brown gig was scrapped
The entertainer was due to appear at Swansea Grand Theatre in April next year.
But the foul-mouthed stand-up comedian, who has denied claims of being racist and sexist at the start of the year, saw the booking cancelled.
Fans were less than happy and branded the decision as a form of censorship.
But a Swansea Council said at the time: "We have decided not to go ahead with a provisional booking for Roy Chubby Brown.......we felt this booking was unlikely to reflect our values and commitments to them."
Singleton Park gets rocked
Thousands of people packed into Swansea's Singleton Park to watch the Stereophonics put on a spectacular performance on stage.
The Cwmaman rockers performed all their hits to the delight of fans who turned up for the gig, which was 20 years on from their famous 1999 show at the old Morfa Stadium. One of the most emotional moments of the night was lead singer Kelly Jones' tribute to his fallen bandmate Stuart Cable - who died in 2010.
Singleton Park also hosted memorable gigs by Jess Glynne and Pete Tong - with the latter belting out dance anthems backed by a classical orchestra.
That Christmas parade
Swansea's Christmas Parade 2019 was dubbed as one of the "best ever", 12 months on after the previous one was described as the worst.
Thousands of people crammed into the city centre, wondering whether council bosses would keep their promise to improve on last year's debacle.
Organisers more than delivered - with the results being described as "magical and spectacular". As well as featuring Santa and his helpful elves, crowds were also treated to the sight of a 10ft tall reindeer made from balloons as well as virtually every Disney character under the sun.
End of an era for two retail giants in the city centre
Swansea was dealt a double blow after Argos announced its High Street branch - one the flagship store for the city. The confirmed the shop will shut and relocate to nearby Sainsbury's.
Another store which had been around for decades, and will also soon vanish, is Mothercare at Parc Tawe. Mothercare has been a mainstay of Parc Tawe for generations, and its departure comes at an unwelcome time for the shopping centre, which currently has 10 empty units - half of the 20 which currently make up the retail park.
Famous artwork to be demolished
Plans were revealed to demolish the most prominent and eye-catching piece of artwork in Swansea.
Construction work has begun on Swansea's much anticipated 3,500 capacity digital arena scheme, known as Swansea Central Phase One.
As part of that work, one building due to be removed shortly is the vacant red brick part of the former St David’s Shopping Centre, immediately to the north of the temporary St Mary’s car park.
It will be familiar to many, as it includes the large 'More Poetry is Needed' artwork. It was commissioned as part of a project to celebrate 100 years since the birth of Swansea playright Dylan Thomas.
Labour hold onto their seats..... in Swansea
Labour suffered a disastrous election in 2019 - losing 59 seats and seeing arch-rivals The Conservatives win a thumping majority.
However, in Swansea, the party at least retained all three seats - including the Gower constituency, which some pollsters had predicted it could lose.
