Christmas Report Card

                                                             

The human grinches tried mightily to destroy our Christmas spirit this year. An 86 year old woman was beaten to death in her friend's driveway by three thugs. Thieves across America stole packages left on the front porches of people's homes. Thousands of homes across our land were burglarized. Hundreds of Christmas haters posted viral videos claiming Christmas was a holiday created by Coca Cola and the department stores. 

And yet, amidst all this carnage, human kindness triumphed over evil again this year. Thousands of Police Departments sponsored Christmas shopping trips for underprivileged children. Little stars were plucked off of department store Christmas trees and gifts were purchased for children who would have gone without. Just here in Phoenix over a thousand Salvation Army Santa's deployed to local storefronts and rang the bell for donations. Those donations resulted in over 7,000 Christmas dinners prepared for the homeless and destitute...with 2500 volunteers cooking and serving those dinners and cleaning up afterwards. Here in Phoenix 22 kind souls volunteered to work at pet foster facilities so that the pet care staff could have Christmas off. 

Perhaps the most touching story was from the Witherspoon family here in Phoenix. Last Christmas their son, Bryce was in a hospital intensive care unit, fighting for his life. The Witherspoons spent their Christmas staying at a Ronald McDonald House and at Bryce's bedside. 

So, this Christmas the Witherspoons went all out to make Bryce's Christmas special. In doing so they decorated their house and yard with bright and cheery Christmas light displays. Sadly, on the night before Christmas Eve, thieves stole the Witherspoon's Christmas lights.

Then, upon reading of the Witherspoon's story, a local resident named Paula Webb became their Christmas angel. Having lost her husband in September, Paula had honored his love of Christmas by decorating her house and yard for Christmas, just as her husband had done every year. However, after learning of the Witherspoon's plight, Paula took down her own Christmas displays and delivered them to the Witherspoon home on Christmas Eve morning. She also presented them with a gift card at Fry's Food and a $250 dollar gift card at Kohl's. And she topped off her giving by presenting the Witherspoon's a pan of her husband's favorite cornbread, a touching tribute in honor of her husband's deep love for Christmas.

So, I guess the message we can take from all of this is that, despite the bad things we read...and the many attempts to dampen our Christmas spirit, the great bounty of human kindness overwhelmingly triumphs over those who would try to take our Christmas from us.

And, despite all the bad news we read, there are millions of gentle and kindly souls who fill our world with the grand spirit of Christmas throughout the year. And when we feel despair at unspeakable evil, it is best to remember the good overwhelmingly outweighs the bad.