Christmas joy: Thank you for sharing with the county's needy children. It was worth it.

Just when you have had enough of the mall, the stores and the holiday hustle and bustle, something comes along to remind you what Christmas is supposed to be all about.

And this weekend, thanks to the generosity of hundreds of Wayne County residents, hundreds of needy children took home a Christmas stocking, a toy and some clothing.

The Empty Stocking Fund Party was the hit it always is. The children sang their holiday songs with gusto and squealed with delight when they saw Santa peeking through the curtain.

Many of them were so excited that they simply could not contain themselves, struggling hard to listen to their moms, dads and grandmothers as they waited for their turn to pick out a toy.

There was not one sign of greed -- and as usual, more than a few were more worried about making sure that their sister or brother had a chance to get a holiday toy than they were about getting a toy themselves.

One young man made sure his visually impaired sister had someone to help her and only picked up his present after he made sure she had hers.

We also had several children with disabilities for whom the crowds were a bit too much. They enjoyed their own private time with Santa. One young lady's face broke immediately into a smile when she saw the Jolly Old Elf sitting in the corner. That, for her, was worth the trip.

We wish you could have been there to see the smiles, to watch the joy and to hear the thank yous from grateful children and parents. We accepted many hugs on your behalf.

Your generosity has given hundreds of children the chance to have a Christmas -- and they wanted everyone to know how much that special party meant to them.

If you have not donated and would like to, please send in your check. We still have bills to pay and will continue our dedications list through the holiday season.

Once again, we send our thanks to all of you on behalf of the families you helped this year. We could not do this without you -- and every year we are reminded just how wonderful, generous and caring this community is.

We are proud to be its newspaper.

Published in Editorials on December 11, 2010 11:26 PM