A generous spirit

There is a lot to like about living in the Tri-Cities at Christmas. I love seeing the Christmas lights and decorations all around town. I’ve enjoyed countless school holiday programs, band and orchestra concerts and field trips with my kids to see The Nutcracker.

I also enjoy all the shopping opportunities we have available — from church bazaars and specialty shops to chain stores offering discounts.

But most of all, I enjoy living in a community with such a giving spirit. After all, that’s what Christmas is really all about, and on the whole I think Tri-Citians do a terrific job of helping the less fortunate this time of year.

It is not hard to find a red kettle and a Salvation Army bell ringer if you want to donate some cash. If you want to really help people out, you can head over to Columbia Center Mall and adopt an entire family for Christmas.

Food drives are everywhere, and as a parent I always appreciated it when the schools encouraged the kids to contribute. Usually by the time the food drive is over, there’s a pretty good haul and it shows the kids that if everyone donates a little bit, it can add up to a lot.

I love that the Mid-Columbia Libraries waive people’s book fines this time of year if people bring in canned goods, and I also love hearing the stories of employees at various companies banding together and collecting thousands of dollars and hundreds of toys for needy children.

And then there are the volunteers who collect all the food and gifts and make sure they get to the families who need them, which takes even more time and effort.

There’s a lot to like about Christmas in the Tri-Cities, but my top pick would be its giving heart.

This story was originally published December 23, 2015 at 5:31 PM with the headline "A generous spirit."