Has anyone noticed a bigger Christmas spirit in the air this year. People do seem to be kinder than last year and there have been many doing the secret santa layaway program. I think it's a great idea. Are you seeing it too in your communities ?

Good Samaritans paying off layaways for strangers at local Kmarts | OregonLive.com

Our two Chicago dailies have stories in them every day about how people are helping each other in the ways you mention as well as helping financially to fulfill education dreams or after a house fire or auto accident. The restaurant or toll-road Secret Santa thing is big here too, when people pay for strangers' meals or tolls when they pay their own.

I see both . There is that secret Santa thing and then there is the nonsense that happened at shoe stores yesterday with the intro of new expensive Air Jordans ;or reports of theft of tips to sanitation workers and mail carriers .

I never say Happy Holidays... its Merry Christmas and if they don't like it they can pound sand.