Courier chief reporter in Angus & The Mearns Graham Brown is already enjoying the festive feelgood factor.
Social media throws up countless images to entertain, amuse, anger and disgust.
This week up popped a Facebook snap of a pile of presents so large they seemed to be almost devouring the Christmas tree behind them.
It was put up to have a go at parents who indulge in the practice of ‘my kid’s pile is bigger than yours’, but since I intend to be closer to a fry-up than Facebook on Christmas morning it wasn’t that part of the post which piqued my interest.
Instead it served to reinforce just how many items had come across the Angus office desk of The Courier over just a few days illustrating the kind, selfless work communities are doing for those at home and thousands of miles away.
The compassion and generosity is evident year round, but appeals for help with festive initiatives had emphasised the breadth and depth of projects being led by local groups and individuals.
Shoeboxes filled with everything from pencils to toothpaste have been collected in their hundreds to arrive in time for Christmas in far-flung parts of the less developed world.
In earthquake-ravaged Nepal, a five-figure sum of Kirriemuir cash is helping rebuild a school in a remote part of the country – and with former Gurkhas spearheading the project there can be absolute certainty that it will be done properly and quickly.
Hundreds of Arbroath cycles which might be replaced with shiny new bikes from Santa have been gathered, refurbished and are wheeling their way to a new life on the dirt tracks of Africa.
This weekend Christmas gift trees will sprout in places like Forfar and Brechin, festooned with tags which folk can pluck from the branches and turn into a gift for a local child on December 25.
In the efforts already mentioned Rotary clubs feature prominently and Angus groups can be proud of more than meeting the international organisation’s motto of service above self.
But there are also countless individuals devoting their time to making the festive season special for others, and keeping alive traditions such as the Brechin Angel Tree which grew out of Cold War compassion shown by US servicemen based in Angus.
All of their efforts deserve praise and, more importantly, support.
For Angus folk there are many opportunities to contribute to a local response which will demonstrate more eloquently the season of goodwill than any Christmas morning snapshot of a mountain of pressies ever will.