When Christmas sales starting popping up this year, I swore I wouldn’t be one of those last minute shoppers. I vowed I’d follow in my mother’s footsteps and get a head start on the madness. I’m not one for crowds and I’m an absolutely dreadful driver, so braving Route 2 on a Friday night with bumper to bumper traffic isn’t ideal, even if there is holiday music cheering me on along the way. Back in November, I got a pretty solid start too. I even made a spreadsheet with little check boxes next to each gift idea for my list of recipients.

By the second week in December, I had the same four boxes checked as I did on Black Friday.

I do deadlines for a living though, after all, and last week I set out on a marathon mission of Christmas to-dos. Calling it a mission is an understatement. It felt like I was crossing enemy lines every time I squeezed my way through a jam-packed aisle or vied for my spot in the checkout line. There were a few points when I considered throwing in the towel and raiding the gift card rack at Rite Aid, because on more than one occasion I felt my Christmas cheer being deflated by the less-than-cheerful disposition of my fellow procrastinators. You’d think, being bound by a common irresponsibility, there’d be a little more understanding but it was like half of the shoppers forgot how to say “excuse me.”

Not exactly a spirited message on the eve of Christmas, right? Bear with me. I swear there’s a point to be made.

First, there was Dave’s Marketplace. I prefer grocery shopping at Dave’s because I like that it’s locally owned and I feel less overwhelmed by the size of the store itself. Generally speaking, the clientele there is polite and respectful as well. When I went for the first round of Christmas Eve shopping though, I was dodging bullets all over the place. It felt like a Category 5 hurricane was on the way and Dave’s was the only source of food left. Relieved to have made it to the cash register, I was waited on by Kelley. Despite the fact that the woman in front of me was cold to her, she didn’t let that damper her spirits. She was efficient and pleasant and all of a sudden I had forgotten my bad mood and was back in the swing of things.

I had the same experience at Target with a checkout employee named Mark, and of course with the entire staff of Bath & Body Works (seriously, where do they find such happy people?).

In need of a pick-me-up during one shopping blitz, I pulled into the Honey Dew on Warwick Ave. for my usual vanilla hazelnut iced coffee in a hot cup – a year-round New England tradition – and was greeted by Missy and her mother who are literally the reason I go to Honey Dew. I love strong coffee so paired with their service, I’m more of a Starbucks girl, but I make sure to go to Honey Dew at least a couple of times a week because those two are probably the nicest servers I’ve ever met. They remember your order, make sure they know your name and always have smiles on their faces. The fact that they have mastered “a little light with skim milk” doesn’t hurt either.

To top it all off, last week I received a letter to the editor from a man who was visiting Rhode Island on business when he ran into some car trouble. Close to traffic on a heavily traveled road in Johnston, he was told it would be an hour before help would be available and was understandably anxious. That was until one Johnston resident, who he said was named Michael, came to his aid, refusing any compensation in return and went above and beyond to make sure the traveler was safe and on his way. The businessman wrote that he would always remember Johnston because of that one hospitable stranger.

That brings me to my point. The holidays aren’t an easy time, and everyone has a million and one things on their mind. It’s hard not to let our stress affect our disposition, but when we meet people like Kelley or Mark, Missy or her mom, or like Michael, it can completely change the course of that day. Not to get all sentimental on you, but I think I remember something about “good will towards men” as being part of the whole meaning of the holiday. Or at least that’s what they said in A Christmas Carol.

Sometimes we lose sight of how much power we have over other people but a simple thank you or smile can go a long way. You never know if that small gesture can make the difference in someone’s day.

Happy holidays!