Yesterday every child that was on the Salvation Army’s angel tree received Christmas presents, which is not unusual. In fact, it happens every year.

What is unique is that all of the presents were purchased with funds pledged by people and organizations throughout the Black Belt.

Salvation Army Major Tonya Roberts said they did not have to use any funding at all from their organization to provide a merry Christmas for needy children.

This proves the Christmas spirit is alive and well in this region. Everyone that chipped in deserves a pat on the back for making sure all of these children are not disappointed by an empty tree. When the program neared crunch time and the situation looked bleak, people stepped up and made things happen.

You contributions mean more than you will ever know. It means that smiles for a child.

It means faith in the Christmas spirit and community for families who haven’t had a lot to be happy about lately. It means good news across the board.

Let’s face it, we aren’t in the midst of a booming economy and no one knows how long it will be before things turn around. The natural instinct during a recession is to tighten your grip on the wallet and hold on for dear life.

There is nothing wrong with that. It’s a perfectly practical way to proceed.

But sometimes, especially at Christmas, you have to loosen that grip if you are able and spread a little joy.

That’s exactly what everyone who gave to this program, or supported other toy drives and food banks did.

Having all of the angels accounted for is good news for today and three months down the road.

The free money will increase the Salvation Army’s ability to help families throughout the year when the holiday season is over and the spirit of giving is not as strong.

So hats off to everyone that made a push to provide needy children a blissful holiday season.

Your efforts are appreciated today and will have an equally heavy impact for the rest of the year.