With only a little more than a week left in the show’s run, our time with “The Colbert Report” is growing short. By the time we unfurl our American flags embroidered with the faces of Jesus and Santa Claus sharing a Coke this Christmas (an American tradition, if I’m not mistaken), the character Stephen Colbert will be dead and gone. He is a man who so represents America and its greatness that without him our future is uncertain.

Of course, the man who brought him to life, the real Stephen Colbert, will live on. Colbert will be taking over for David Letterman on CBS’s “The Late Show” sometime in 2015. But before we say goodbye to Stephen Colbert the character, we must take some time to remember all that he gave us.

Back in 2005, when America was broken and in need of a hero, Stephen Colbert brought us light. During his first broadcast to the “Colbert Nation,” he spoke to us of a new word, “Truthiness,” which he described as knowing with your heart rather than thinking with your head. Since that time, Colbert has told us the news straight from the gut, giving us the truth we need to hear, regardless of the facts.

Yes, of course this is all overblown. “The Colbert Report” is not a “real” news show, but nobody does political satire quite like Colbert. In fact, nobody since the writer Jonathan Swift has produced a body of work so effective at eviscerating its targets while retaining its humor. By adopting the character of Stephen Colbert, Colbert gives his satire a layer of immediacy that “The Daily Show” often lacks.

You would feel bad for the character’s ignorance if he weren’t so egomaniacally confident about his opinions being right. While “The Daily Show” is, as Colbert describes, a deconstruction of the news, “The Colbert Report” is a reconstruction. The entire show has to mimic those it critiques in emotional tone, design and character. It’s a difficult task, but it’s one that Colbert and his writers have beautifully accomplished over the last nine years.

One of the strangest aspects of “The Colbert Report” is just how well its faux charisma works. The real Stephen Colbert has become a pop culture icon by playing a fictionalized version of himself and has been bestowed ridiculous honors ranging from a portrait in the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery to a species of spider named after him.

None of the Fox News, CNN or MSNBC anchors have a Ben & Jerry’s flavor, but Stephen Colbert does. Every honor only adds to the parody, the act that is Stephen Colbert the character, while at the same time justifiably recognizing Colbert for his contributions to our national culture.

After all, Colbert has changed the way we watch the news. Cable news pundits seem more ridiculous. You can see the holes and seams in their constructed personalities. When the character Stephen Colbert appeared on “The O’Reilly Factor” in 2007, the two men mostly improvised, playing together. They both get in several good jokes, and you can even hear the crew laughing in the background. O’Reilly is giving up the game almost as much as Colbert is forcing it back onto him, and by the end we are reminded that the news we watch is often a put-upon act.

As biting as Colbert’s satire is, it is still consistently funny and strange. As the show has progressed, Colbert and his staff of writers have found ways to further flesh out the character of the show and its host, which often led to sillier recurring segments.

Colbert became a comic book hero (Tek Jansen); wrote two glorious books about America/himself; had his own Cuban spin-off, Esteban Colberto; and developed an infamous hatred and fear of bears. At times, the real Stephen Colbert has shone through the character. He is often given time to expound on the latest “Lord of the Rings” or “Star Wars” news and has proven to be one of the nerdiest television comedians around.

But now all that comes to a close. Political satire may live on in shows like “The Daily Show,” “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” and “Real Time with Bill Maher,” but it’s hard not to feel like we are losing one of the greats. It’s exciting to see Colbert move on to new ventures, but I tremble to think that my children will live in a world without “The Colbert Report.”

As a South Carolinian like Colbert, I’ll stick by him through thick and thin. He’s our native son, after all, and was almost our president in 2008. I’d vote for him in a heartbeat, but I know he has important things to do at “The Late Show.” After nine years of performing the best satire around, Colbert deserves to do something a little more fun. I just hope he decorates his whole set like Hobbiton.