Christmas kindness

Readers share heart-warming holiday stories.

Updated:: 2010-01-01 18:28

Published:: 2008-12-22 00:00

By: Melissa Lim

Santa drives a taxi cab

December is a great time to reflect on all the joys that make life wonderful. Holiday specials on television and Christmas carols on the radio illustrate what a lovely season it can be. However, the time to reflect often gets overlooked and pushed out of the way as the hustle and bustle of Christmas errands keep many of us preoccupied with what to get, rather than with what to give.

Good intentions are often marred by the tendency to fight over the last parking spot, the last sweater and the last toy, yet Christmas seems to bring out both the best and worst of people.

To show that the good really does outweigh the bad, especially at Christmas, we asked readers to share their stories of Christmas kindness. Here are just a few letters that warmed our hearts, and will hopefully spread the Christmas spirit.

Santa drives a taxi cab
From Cathy Sarson:
My story is not about a Christmas gift of kindness given to me personally but rather gifts given to MANY by my dear late cousin Leonard. Dear Len, who passed away in March, 1999 at the age of 72, was a cab driver for many, many years in busy downtown Toronto.

Len's outlook on life was always to help as many people as possible, as often as possible. This was especially true during the holiday season when even on Christmas Eve, Len would often work for as long as 10 hours a day, no matter what the weather.

Many of Len's fares were festive and in the holiday mood. Others would perhaps be tired and stressed from holiday preparations and were anxious to reach their destinations.

In any case, rides would all have the same happy endings: with smiles from the passengers and Len as he would announce that the ride was free and wish them a Merry Christmas.

Perhaps someone reading this now might have once been a recipient of Len's gift of kindness by riding in his cab and are now smiling as they remember a Christmas Eve gone by.

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