Big storms tend to bring out the helpfulness in neighbors. We still remember the December morning a few years ago after a 2-day Nor'Easter, when we woke up to a shovelled out car. It must have taken someone hours to do, especially on our plowed-in Somerville street. Its these small random acts of kindness that make the holiday season special to us. The holidays don't just include our immediate family and friends, they're also about our neighbors and community. At a pot-luck holiday dinner earlier this week we started a lively discussion about recollections of anonymous kind acts during the holidays. Read what fondly stuck in folks minds after the jump.
Small, kind acts aren't about someone seeing you do them. In fact, they can mean more if you are the only one who knows what you did. Here are some things our friends and neighbors remembered from holiday seasons past:
- Our friend Jen remembers when someone left a $50 in the tip jar on Christmas Eve many years ago when she worked at a coffeeshop. The tipper didn't wait for anyone to see them put it in, it was just in the mix when the jar was dumped out at the end of the day.
- Kate remembered one day when she was stressed out and late, and there was a ton of holiday shopping traffic, the smile a gentleman gave her and a friendly wave when he let her merge in to his lane. This after everyone before him had sped up to cut her off. Its a smile she still remembers and it made her day, in fact her whole season.
- We heard a few people talk about cars in front of them on the Mass Pike paying their tolls. They got up to the tollbooth with money ready, and the toll-taker told them that the person before them had paid for them. Our friends all said that they in turn paid for the person after them as well. And to a person, they all remembered the smile, wave and "Merry Christmas" that they got if they caught up to the person who paid for them.
- Several folks mentioned shoveling out their neighbors sidewalks and steps, or having someone do it anonymously for them.
- Ed, our old neighbor said that one year an anonymous someone left a small tin of dog biscuits on his stoop with a ribbon. He has kind of a yappy dog so it made him feel great that someone liked Scrapper too.
- A few people talked about strangers kindly letting them go before them in line at a store when they only had a few items, or giving them extra coins when they were fishing around in their wallet for exact change.
- Someone talked about sending care packages to soldiers in Iran who they had never met.
- One friend recalled using up all of her quarters to put in expired meters on a street that she had gotten several tickets, and that she knew meter maids were particularly vigilant.
We love this photo of a Salvation Army volunteer from flickr photographer Dan Strange
One theme of the discussion was that when folks talked about the memorable things that had happened to them in years past, it wasn't always what someone did that made it memorable, it was the kind smile on the person's face who did it. AT readers, what about you? Can you think of random small acts of kindness that you've been recipient of or that you did that made the holidays more special?
Here's to the little things this holiday season. We wish you the kindest holiday spirit.
pics: 1: Sue Richards' flickr photostream, 2: tinfoilraccoon's flickr photostream, 3: Dan Strange's flickr photostream
If I told you about what I did, would it still count?:) No, that ledger is secret in a good way.
I will tell you about Southern hospitality, though. The South was an education to me, but it does practice its hospitality.
When I was a poor international student in Columbia, SC, in 2003, unprepared for a winter away from the tropics, I recall one wet freezing morning when I was walking my 30 minutes to campus (I still can't afford a car) and hoping my backpack wouldn't get wet through, I'd need the formals inside it to teach that day. A long black car with a sprightly old lady inside it stopped by my side, and the lady offered me a ride. I refused initially, but gave in at her manner and insistence. She gave me a ride to the university. And invited me and my housemate to traditional Christmas dinner that year with her family. We didn't remain friends, but I have never forgotten this.
And countless other times others have helped me with little things that didn't mean a lot to them but a lot to a car-less penniless student. Opportunity, trust, invitations into family occasions, stuff, rides, and most of all, time and an attentive ear. I guess I was lucky:) I'm going to go and find ways to say thank you and spread the kindness around.
view FigurativeSketches's profile
my new next door neighbours clear my driveway and walks when they do their own after every snowfall. it's something they did for the elderly lady who used to own my house.
my property line ends directly at their house and the gate to their backyard and they need my driveway to access their yard and pool and it's the easiest way for their dog to access the road for his walks.
since i was sent home early from work today due to the weather, i baked some banana bread and dog biscuits to thank them - it's the least i can for all their kindness.
this is my first home and i am fortunate to have great neighbours on either side.
view rouquinne's profile
I've had my wallet mailed back to me several times in Boston. Each time the money was still there. Amazing.
view Oven Mitzie's profile
Yesterday I needed to go to the grocery store in a pretty big snowstorm. I (as a student) do not have a car and I would usually take public transit to shop. Unfortunately yesterday I knew that my kitchen was empty and my holiday shopping would be impossible to carry.
I decided to call a taxi to pick me up from the grocery store to get me and my heavy (reusable of course) bags home in the deep snow. I knew that there would be quite a long wait and so I called a bit before I was finished shopping. The dispatcher told me that I would be waiting up to 35 minutes - something I was used to since I came from a smaller city with less cabs. I patiently waited, explored the liquor store and the florist in the bottom of the store, even "accidently" buying a few christmas chocolates to eat while I waited. At 45 minutes I was quite tired and had to sit down with my bags instead of standing in the lobby. At about an hour of waiting the dispatcher called back and apologized, saying that the wait would be another half hour (at least) and did I want to cancel my order.
I then tried to search for another way home. I called my brother and other family, I stood on the corner looking for passing cabs that I could hail, I stood in deep snow for another 15 minutes before dragging my bags to the subway stop. I couldn't really lift them so it took me quite a while to get them down two flights of steps (the escalator was broken) and onto the platform. I dragged them into the subway and took the train to my boyfriend's stop, in hopes that he would meet me at the station and help me.
When I arrived at the station I got out of the train and as dragged my bags down the hall a woman in a red hat stopped to offer me her help. She said that she would help me get my bags up the next two flights of steps and out onto the street. I blushed and declined, saying that I was fine but she insisted on helping me and slowly walking beside me all the way down the hall and up the stairs. She kindly respected my refusal of her kind offer but she still walked beside me and stayed in case that I needed a hand or possibly fell down the stairs (quite likely). At the top of the steps she offered to help me get home, but I blushed even more and said that someone was coming to help. She just nodded and smiled, saying that in this snow everyone needed all the help they could get and that I shouldn't be embarrassed. She said that people are people, and if she was in my place she would need help too. She shook my hand and walked out the door and into the snow, all I could see was her red hat as she made her way down the snowy street.
view prairie girl's profile
my area's been having ridiculous weather (for us; I'm sure people in other places would scoff at us even calling the past week stormy or snowy) and the roads have been a misery - and, as a result, catching a bus has been a crapshoot at best. On Thursday, in the worst of it, several of us waited for nearly 2 hours for our bus to come. About an hour in, one of the people waiting left - we figured he'd given up hope. Instead, he'd gone home, shoveled out and chained up his car, and then came back for the rest of us.
I have no idea who that guy was - I don't think he even normally rides my bus - but it was such a nice gesture, and I know that I and the other commuters he shuttled were grateful beyond belief. I'm going to be carrying a thank-you card for the rest of the winter, just in case I bump into him again.
view effinn's profile
Just last night, I was at the local bodega getting some extra things for some unexpected dinner guests (my roommate and his girlfriend were home- first time I've seen him in weeks) My total was $10.48 and my card was declined. I only had $10 on me, and desperately needed the three things I'd picked to make dinner work. The woman in line behind me said she'd cover the $0.48 and waved me off with a merry Christmas.
It made my night.
view belmontmedina's profile