For as long as anyone who is still living can remember, gifts have been a part of the holiday season.

You buy, you make, you bake or cook, and then you give. If you’re lucky, you also receive.

Well, as many of you know, some people aren’t that lucky. This so called “Season of Giving” all too often doesn’t live up to its name. Thankfully, there are people and organizations around this community that take delight in bringing smiles to those less fortunate. I don’t want to name specific people or groups (you can look in a few places in this issue, including right on the front page, to see for yourself) because that isn’t my intent for this column.

My intent is for you to think about somebody in Bainbridge who may not be looking forward to Christmas morning knowing there won’t be anything in their stocking, or a child who deserves a visit from Santa Claus this season, or helping a parent who is struggling to make ends meet on the bills, let along affording gifts for their family.

I love how this community puts forth that kind of effort year in and year out. This will be my third Christmas in Bainbridge, and I still get giddy when I see pictures of kids’ faces lit up from an unexpected gift, or a donation to a school or something as simple as selling hot chocolate for charity.

Those kinds of stories are what makes my job worth it.

Keep it up, Bainbridge. Keep it up.