‘tis the season of giving

Christmas is here.

There are many things that I love about this time of year — decorating cookies, watching Christmas movies and spending time with loved ones.

But there’s another part of Christmas that I love.

This is the time of year to give back to your fellow man, to lend a hand to those who are less fortunate than us.

And the Hills have a plethora of ways to give back.

One thing that stands out to me is something that a Rapid City man did a couple of weeks ago.

According to a post on this man’s Facebook page, he went to a local fast food restaurant and purchased 40 breakfast sandwiches and hash browns and drove around the city in the morning giving the food to people in need.

Another man met the man who was delivering food with 40 Ziplock bags filled with winter hats, gloves and socks as well as two cases of water.

The man was able to give out all 40 breakfasts, the bags of winter attire and water. In addition to all of this, people met this man at the fast food restaurant and gave him money to fund the project.

According to the man’s Facebook post, even after buying all the breakfast food he had over $1,200, which was donated to Fork Real Community Café and was able to provide over 100 meals.

In his Facebook post, the man said he will continue to do this and will start a not-for-profit organization.

To me, that’s what this time of year is all about.

There are so many people in need in the Black Hills. It is our duty as humans to give to those who are less fortunate. By doing so, we make the world a better place.

There’s so much negativity in the news, and I can understand why. There’s war, famine, disease and political turmoil all over the world. The world can be a very scary place.

But it is through random acts of kindness that we make the world a better place, and Hill City is filled with people who are committing random acts of kindness on a daily basis.

Just this Christmas season alone, there are so many charity drives here in Hill City to help those who are in need. There’s the Purse Project, where members of the community donated lightly-used purses and filled them with goods to be taken to two area women’s shelters. There’s the Angel Tree, where people can pick an angel off the tree and donate Christmas presents to a family in need. There’s Operation Hill City Warm Hands, where winter attire is free to people who need it.

Just this week, I covered check donations, a bus that provides free dental care to the community funded by the Masons and other donations, a special storytime at the Hill City Senior Center, bringing together both young and old to decorate cookies and read a book together.

Hill City truly is a special place. It’s a place where we all come together to help our fellow man. It’s a place where we look out for one another.

I know I’ve said it before, but I truly mean it: Hill City is unlike any other place I’ve ever been.

I like to joke that it’s “Hallmarkville” because of its stark similarities to a town in a Hallmark Christmas movie. This isn’t a bad thing.

Hill City is a place where we know the true meaning of Christmas: celebrating the birth of our Lord and helping our fellow man — just like in those cheesy, just terrible Hallmark movies I’m forced to watch this season when I’m at home.

And I know it’s not just the Christmas season where we give. There are so many charity fundraisers throughout the year that it’s hard not to be involved in some way, shape or form.

I look forward to covering more of these charity drives in the coming year. I look forward to bringing to light the work the local nonprofits do to help the community. I look forward to seeing Hill City make the world a better place.

And, with that, I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a prosperous and safe New Year.