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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

The Slice Christmas Spirit Can Take Unusual Forms

It was about 6 a.m., and it was cold, dark and quiet.

Downtown was just waking up. A car here. Apartment lights flicking on there. Stuff you barely notice.

Then we heard it. Someone was singing. Singing loud.

You could tell it was a man. He’s plastered, we thought.

Maybe. But this guy a block away could halfway carry a tune.

The singer was on First. We were on Sprague. We were both walking east, at about the same pace. And when cross-streets or spaces between buildings allowed, we could hear this man belting out a song. You know how sound carries when it’s cold.

Still, it wasn’t quite possible to make out the lyrics.

A time or two we even caught sight of him. But he was too far away for a positive assessment. Probably drunk.

Then, near Monroe, we had to reconsider. Wasn’t that a Christmas carol he was singing? Sure, it sounded like - could it be? - “We Three Kings….”

We stopped and soaked in a Hallmark Moment.

We looked for the guy in the predawn darkness. There he was. Walking and singing in a big coat.

And then there came a line we could definitely make out.

“You’re may l-a-a-a-dy.”

So it wasn’t a carol.

We watched the singer cross Monroe and then walk out of view.

Probably drunk.

Slice answers: “A newcomer” is the safest, most courteous driver in the Spokane area, said Dale Ann Compton, who moved here from Eugene, Ore.

Charlie Grammer suggested that the safest driver is “The poor guy that gave chief Mangan the finger.”

Keith Allen nominated “The professional truck drivers who frequent our truck stop every day.”

Go ahead, have confidence as you chart your life’s course:

“You know how to make God laugh?”

“No. How?”

“Make a plan.”

That was in the movie, “Kicking and Screaming,” but almost certainly originated elsewhere. We like it.

Today’s Slice question: What’s the best thing you’ve ever seen at a Christmas pageant? (Our pick: A little kid dressed up as a lamb waving and saying “Hi, Mommy.”)

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Drawing

MEMO: The Slice appears Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Write The Slice at P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210; call (509) 459-5470; fax (509) 459-5098.

The Slice appears Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Write The Slice at P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210; call (509) 459-5470; fax (509) 459-5098.