Christmas spirit

In all the hustle and bustle to buy the perfect gift and get all the decorations out people often forget the true meaning of Christmas. We are supposed to be celebrating the birth of Jesus not worrying about having the best decorations in the neighborhood. I have to say that this year I was very impressed by the people in the City of Topeka. We had a ridiculous amount of snow and we were not prepared for it. The streets were terrible and even people with 4 wheel drives were getting stuck. I had the misfortune of trying to leave my apartment twice and got stuck both times. Both times total strangers offered to help dig me out. The first time the guys were a little annoying about telling me what I did wrong and offering advice, but they still helped dig me out. The second time a couple just stopped their car and offered to help dig me out and then went on about their business. When I finally managed to get out of my neighborhood I saw similar sights everywhere. People were offering assistance to total strangers and not asking anything in return. That is the true spirit of Christmas. Whether you are a Christian or not, being a good person is something we should all strive for. Helping the people around you when they need a hand is part of that and doing it without making them feel they owe you is even better. In the new year I hope that people carry forward that spirit of helpfulness even when there's no snow on the ground. Although at the rate we're going, it'll be July before it stops snowing. :)