The holidays are a special time. Colorful lights twinkle where only power cords existed before. The smell of baked goods and burning Yule logs fills the air.
Folks stop kicking homeless people in the face.
In the past, we here at The Stranger have been downright snotty about the holidays, encouraging parents to give their youngsters fuzzy bunnies for science experiments, and informing shoppers where to buy used Honey Buckets. But then one day, one of the paper's editors witnessed the following scene. An elderly woman was packing a bag of ribbon candy in the bulk section of a local grocery store when she spilled a big scoop of the stuff all over the shiny linoleum. A young man stopped to help her, even getting down on his knees to pick up the red and green treats. Like Ebenezer Scrooge, our hearts melted, and the Stranger Guide to the Holidays is what came dripping out.