With the Christmas season now upon us, here’s a gift we can all share: Sober and safe driving.

On a wide stage, this is the two-fold message that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is spreading throughout the holidays: “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” and “If You Feel Different You Drive Different — Drive High Get a DUI.” The campaigns run from Dec. 14 through Jan. 1, with the aim to educate us about the dangers — and consequences — of driving drunk and high; and with the further warning that law enforcement will be stepping up patrols to ensure impaired drivers are off of highways and byways.

It shouldn’t need to be said, but we’ll say it here: There are more than 10,000 people killed in drunk-driving crashes annually in our nation — accounting for about 1/3 of all traffic fatalities — and every one of those deaths was 100 percent preventable.

To help those fully avoidable incidents, two states in particular are partnering with the NHTSA for holiday campaigns of their own. The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s “12 Days of Safety” begins Dec. 21 and runs through Jan. 1; and in The Magnolia State, the Mississippi Highway Patrol has stepped up a traffic enforcement campaign since Thanksgiving that will continue through New Year’s.

Impaired driving is a problem on our roads every day, but it explodes exponentially during the holidays. The solution: plan ahead. If you have a holiday gathering on your calendar, plan before the event how you’re going to get safely home once the celebration end. Plan for a designated driver — and one who pledges to stay 100 percent sober.

Such wise decisions today can save lives — yours, your passengers and others on the road — tomorrow. Risky decisions will cost those lives.

Make the right choice to drive sober today, and every day.