Christmas is still almost three weeks away but the traditional goodwill of the holiday season is already evident.
Dallas Harty is up on the roof of his Sobeys Scenic Square store, for the 13th straight year, as part of the annual Hampers of Hope campaign to encourage donations for the local food banks. On Friday, the Rotary Club of Lethbridge Sunrise will present its annual reading of "A Christmas Carol," the Charles Dickens classic, at Southminster United Church as a fundraiser for local food banks.
Over at Centre Village Mall, the annual Toy Mountain campaign, a partnership of the mall and Rock 106, is collecting toys to be distributed through the joint efforts of Interfaith Food Bank, Lethbridge Food Bank and the Salvation Army. CKVN 98.1 is hosting the annual Streets Alive Radio-thon in support of Streets Alive's work with the city's street population, and Lethbridge's historic Annandale House is hosting tours that raise money for several local non-profit organizations.
Last weekend, the Evangelical Free Church of Lethbridge staged its annual Christmas production, another fundraising event to benefit Lethbridge's food banks. Tuesday, Save-On Foods hosted the "Stuff A Bus" event, again in aid of the city's food banks.
Meanwhile, the Salvation Army's Kettle Campaign is underway, and The Herald's annual Food for Thought campaign supporting breakfast and lunch programs at city schools is already off to a stronger start than a year ago.
These are just some of the charitable causes that are vying for support in the lead-up to Christmas. And as always, local citizens are opening their hearts and wallets to help those less fortunate.
There are a lot of things to like about the Christmas season and one of those is the heightened generosity that is evident at this time of year. As citizens reach out to make the holiday period a little brighter for those in more challenging circumstances, it enhances the Christmas atmosphere for everyone.
Comment on this editorial online at www.lethbridgeherald.com/opinions/.