Generosity is the spirit of Christmas

It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas in Kimball. The lights are hung, the nativity is set, the parade is done and the annual Quarter Store is now open to all. But more than all of this, there is the Christmas spirit, summed up with just one word – generosity.

It is the spirit of giving on which this holiday is built, not necessarily giving the must-have gifts, but giving of self. After all, it is the day we celebrate the gift of life. Read more about the birth that we celebrate on Christmas day on page 8.

Generosity can be felt wherever one goes in Kimball on a regular basis. It is the time a young person takes to scoop his neighbors' walks, it is a teenage boy helping an elderly lady from her car and walk her safely into the grocery store.

During the Christmas season this generosity grows, and with each genuine kindness so does the Christmas spirit, in the hearts of both recipients and givers.

The generous support given to others during the Christmas season in Kimball makes for a heartwarming story on page four.

The gifts most cherished for years to come are the memories made during Christmas – the time spent decorating trees, the smells from Grandma's kitchen, the kindnesses done secretly and songs that bring back each fond moment.

Looking back at Christmases past gives us a unique look at the evolution of the holiday. Enjoy the spirit of the holiday from years ago in these pages and be sure to find the recipes of traditional and new holiday food and drink.

Many explanations of the holiday traditions we carry on today began even before Christmas. Explore the possible beginning of the decorated Christmas tree and other Christmas traditions, such as Santa Claus and gift-giving on the following page.

Some of my favorite moments are spent sitting quietly under a lit Christmas tree, listening to music playing softly and enjoying the peace and tranquility, with a glass of egg nog, when all the scurrying about is done. The spirit of Christmas, for me, is strongest when I am able to reach out to someone and simply give with no expectations. Though the gift may seem small, a smile and a kind word or a helping hand, to the recipient, it means so much and to me, as the giver, it is the most joyful experience – helping another.