Another inspiring Holidays and Heroes was held Sunday, with public safety professionals and first responders from throughout the county. It has truly been a blessing to me and Bert to volunteer with the program for the past several years. Uniformed officers, all on their own time, volunteer to be paired with a child who otherwise may not have much of a Christmas and certainly not many of the necessities of life.

The officers pick up the child at their home in police cars or fire vehicles and take them to Walmart, where the kids shop for their family members. Unbeknownst to the little one, each officer/firefighter has secret shoppers who are shopping for them at the same time. That's what Bert and I do.

What is so absolutely humbling about this program is that without exception, the children are thrilled to be able to select gifts to give to their family and their selections are as unique as their circumstances. Sometimes they choose the most basic "gifts" ... an economy pack of toilet tissue, a big jug of laundry detergent, what most of us would not consider a luxury. Once the shopping is done everyone heads to the Greyhound Park where even more of Santa's helpers await to wrap the gifts while the children enjoy lunch, photos with Santa and choosing a wonderful homemade quilt.

A few years ago I was near the quilt tables when a young boy picked out a snuggly quilt and then sweetly asked the volunteer if he could please have one for his little sister. He said sometimes she wakes in the middle of the night crying because she's cold.

It's impossible not to be moved to tears at some point during the day. But there is so much joy and love all around, it's also incredibly uplifting.

On Sunday, I saw one of the officers in uniform with his own family but without a child so I asked about his young charge. It doesn't happen often, but when the officer went to the home, the young boy was terrified to go with him. Not long ago he and his siblings had been removed from the home during a crisis.

So my officer friend just told the boy he'd be back with surprises and did all the shopping for the family. When he returned in a police car filled with wrapped presents, a turkey, a big box of food and a homemade quilt, the wall of fear came down. The officer stayed and visited with the family and told me later that he was sure he'd made a new little friend.

Sometimes Santa looks a lot like a police officer or firefighter and always Christmas miracles happen when hearts are open and the littlest and most skeptical among us have reason to believe.

So Taryn Thompson, former Press reporter, was experiencing Christmas letter writer's block and posted an invitation for friends to write hers. Fellow scribes, former and present, commented that they'd be happy to create works of fiction. Joe Butler, David Townsend and Cindy Hval chimed in. My suggestion? Send out post cards inviting those on your Christmas letter list to "friend" you on Facebook and then just scroll through the last 12 months of your posts. The End.

Bob Spencer, retired California Highway Patrol, now makes his home in Spirit Lake. He added something new to his resume last Saturday when he donned a Santa suit for the benefit breakfast at Christ the King Preschool in Coeur d'Alene. Bob didn't need a faux beard; his own is a perfect match for the real St. Nick. So how did this maiden voyage as the grand old man of Christmas turn out? In addition to visiting with lots of kids, Bob received a bag of carrots for his reindeer and some letters to hand deliver to the North Pole. Said his wife, Suzanna ... the magic of being Santa really put a twinkle in his eye and a song in his heart.

Here's a tip of Santa's hat to the good people who live in the Highlands neighborhood in Post Falls. For several years, they've held a golf cart parade for the holidays and in 2009 added a food drive to the activity. This year they more than doubled the cash donations to $1,300 and added a few hundred more pounds of food to fill two trucks, netting 1,200 pounds. Both the cash and food were delivered with smiles to the Post Falls Food Bank.

Happy birthday today to Dick Wandrocke, Shannon Clark, Richard Carlson and Donna Cushman.

Tomorrow, Christina Petit, Jennifer Keefe, Katrina Mayer, Kym Hamby, Shawn Gunn, Leigh Sales and Aleta English take another trip around the sun.

Twelve is the lucky number for Alexis Davis, Sialas Tripp, Dr. Mary Sanderson, Amy Alderman, John Austin, Mary Finley, Teresa Capone, Mark Orlowski, Konrad Hochhalter, Monte Miller, Richard Stevenette, Colleen Williams, Lynn Knapp and Jessica White with 12/12 birthdays.

Brian Golly, Kim Buer and Denise Higgs mark their birthdays on the 13th.

On Sunday my BFF Anna Pierce aka Patty Duke will put on her party hat, joined by Eve Knudtsen, Sybil McCormack, Sandy Clemons, Amber Briles, John Medlock, Vicki Peoples, Karen Kastning (50!) and James Forster.

On Monday, Kerri Wilfong, Brenda Young, Anne Marie Toothaker, Travis Gardner and Austin Wuest are celebrating and Mimi Eismann, Lori Dawson, Harmony Taylor, Dot Neirinckx and Tim Kastning will open their presents on Tuesday.

Post Script: If you want to feel rich, just count all of the gifts you have that money can't buy.

Kerri Rankin Thoreson is a member of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists and the former publisher of the Post Falls Tribune. She's been voted Best Local Writer by the readers of the North Idaho Business Journal multiple times. Main Street appears every Wednesday in The Press and Kerri can be contacted on Facebook or via email mainstreet@cdapress.com. Follow her on Twitter @kerrithoreson.