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Editorial: Generosity helps us believe in Christmas
“Unless we make Christmas an occasion to share our blessings, all the snow in Alaska won’t make it ‘white.’ ” – Bing Crosby
Spokane’s favorite crooner hit the right note, but that’s hardly news to those who have been moved by the spirit of the holiday.
The headlines are so often dreary, with a steady stream of depressing economic stories. A recent article told us that one in two Americans are poor or are struggling on a low income. And yet, something stirs within people to press on and create their own positive circumstances.
Better to give than receive? Just ask those who do.
There is the anonymous donor to the Spokesman-Review Christmas Fund, who dropped off $5,000 “in appreciation for 30-plus great years in Spokane. I hope this will provide some Christmas cheer to those struggling in these tough economic times.”
Roughly 10 percent to 20 percent of contributions to the Christmas Fund come in anonymously. Some people do it because the amount is small, but they should know that the gesture is huge.
Said a $10 donor: “I found this money in a parking lot. I thought it might help to buy food or a toy for a deserving child.”
It will.
A couple forced to live in a motel after a fire gave $35. “God has taken good care of us,” they wrote. “In that spirit of giving, we cannot ‘not give.’ ”
We thank everyone who has given to the Christmas Fund, whether anonymously or not. There’s no better way to start a day than to read the list of contributors and their heartfelt notes.
Beyond the fund, we were taken with the secret Santas who have appeared at layaway counters in Spokane and elsewhere around the country to help perfect strangers. Early news accounts of donations in the Midwest have snowballed into an avalanche of random acts of kindness in which people pay off layaway accounts so that parents can bring home gifts for their kids.
At the Kmart on East Sprague, the “layaway angels” had donated more than $16,000 by early Thursday, with the expectation the total would exceed $20,000. “It’s flabbergasting,” a store official said.
In Omaha, Dona Bremser had just learned someone had paid off the $70 balance on her Kmart account, which freed up toys for her toddler son.
“I was speechless,” she said. “It made me believe in Christmas again.”
A young father knew he couldn’t afford the gifts he set aside for his three small children, but as he was about to make a layway payment, a woman intervened and took care of the balance. When he realized it wasn’t a joke, he broke down and cried.
A wonderful gift for the recipient. An even better one for the giver.
We are all blessed in some way, so we all have something to give. The choice is easy. The result is a gift that keeps on giving.
So to all the secret and not-so-secret Santas, this verse is for you:
May your days be merry and bright
And may all your Christmases be white.