The Christmas 'spirit'

I was scanning the book aisles at Borders the other night, wasting time before an 8 p.m. meeting, when up came Santa Claus.

Yep, the big guy was walking around the store, handing out candy canes to those who wanted one, offering a smile and a hearty "Merry Christmas!" It warmed the heart to see somebody take the time to simply be kind to others.

We don't do enough of it anymore. Sometimes, it seems, the world is going crazy.

Some of you no doubt read my pal Dean Harned's blog about the impatient assholes at the accident scene he encountered last weekend. I still can't believe that somebody actually came up to demand that the couple responsible for the wreck -- who were clinging to life amid the wreckage -- pay for the demolished neighborhood sign.

Earlier this week in Halls, Enix Jewelers was ransacked by what looks like professional thieves. Stolen among the items were countless family heirlooms, wedding rings and other jewelry waiting to be repaired. Hard blow to take, especially at Christmas.

Then you remember the guy playing Santa at Borders and figure all isn't lost. A couple of weeks ago, I interviewed a woman who makes dollhouses (we're talking some detailed stuff here, folks), gives them to sick young girls and donates them to the Halls Welfare Ministry so a young woman who might not otherwise receive any gifts can have something special for Christmas.

The everyday kindness of the so-called backroads, Charles Kuralt once said, more than makes up for the greed in the headlines.

I agree. Don't you wish, though, that we could be filled with the "Christmas spirit" the other 364 days of the year, too?