Save a little Christmas spirit for rest of the year

Now that Christmas is over, the hard part begins.

The Christmas spirit was so strong in Northern Nevada residents that there were seemingly endless photos and stories in recent weeks about their good deeds. There were so many that the Appeal couldn't get to all of them. Many people took part in fundraising. Others visited shut-ins or gave food, coats and toys to those in need. In some cases, entire classrooms participated.

The organizations that benefited from that good will are grateful, of course, because they rely on the Christmas season to tide them over for the lean times ahead.

It's an eternal mystery why the Christmas spirit fades so quickly after the holiday and donations and volunteerism plunge. It's certainly not that people stop caring.

Probably, it has something to do with the busy lives all of us lead and the time we must allocate to our own families and careers. But if we could preserve just a fraction of that spirit of giving of ourselves, imagine how quickly the problems would evaporate in our community. It's easier said than done, of course, but it's certainly not impossible.

Just a fraction could mean volunteering one night a week or visiting seniors on weekends. It could mean setting aside a few dollars from each paycheck for a charitable cause about which you care.

The nice part about it is you get something in return. The feeling you get when you help someone is the same in January as it is in December.