SALT LAKE CITY — After receiving several more Christmas-themed, user-submitted stories, we decided to compile a bonus Make Your Week column this week, in the spirit of the holiday.

The gift of giving:

Laurel C.

"I grew up in a pretty good neighborhood. All the families were living modest lives and had enough to supply for their family needs.

"However, my junior year in high school my friends and I noticed this house at the end of the street with no Christmas lights or tree.

"We learned from our parents that the young family of three was struggling with the father in and out of the hospital for a rare form of cancer.

"My group of five friends decided to change the fact there was no Christmas cheer around this house. We started to collect extra cash we had for a small tree, some food items and a few toys for the 3-year-old, including a sled. On Christmas Eve, we decorated the tree and left the gifts and food on the doorstep before we rang the doorbell and ran like mad. We could see under a bush (where we were hiding) a woman at the door and the squeal of a little boy. We saw him using the sled in the front yard the day after Christmas.

"The next year for Christmas we saw that the same house was bare again. Come to find out the father was once again in the hospital and the mother was working every shift she could get. So, now as seniors, we started to gather our spare income, even asking neighbors and parents to contribute. Again, we placed a fully decorated tree with gifts for all three of the members of the family. We knocked on the door and ran. Again we saw the same scene as the year before, except a young wife fell to her knees and cry at her front door.

"The next year, after all five us moved on and went to college we came back for Christmas break and once again found the house at the end of the street, dark. We had learned from our parents that the husband could no longer get treatment as it had failed, and he had passed away earlier that month. We could see through the window that the tree we had purchased the year before was in the front window as we saw the lights turn on. Again, we went and purchased a few items and went to the door on Christmas Eve. There sitting on the door was a note:

'Dear Christmas Angel, We are so thankful for what you have done for us these past few Christmases, 'We wish we could thank you as you have brightened our dark world. 'Thank you, as we suspect we won’t be able to thank you in person.'

"That year we knocked on the door, stood in a half-circle and sang 'Silent Night.' We silently gave her hugs, told her she was loved and wished her a Merry Christmas. I will never forget how tight that hug from her was, or how magical each of those Christmases were."

The gift of medicine:

Terri F.

"As I was standing in line to receive some prescriptions the pharmacist told me my total. It was a lot more than I could afford so, of course, I started to tear up. Knowing these meds were for my son and me, I told him I couldn't afford them. A lady and a gentleman stepped up and paid for all of our prescriptions. If I only knew their names.

"I told them both 'thank you,' went to my vehicle and cried some more. Merry Christmas. I look forward to paying it forward for someone else."

The gift of passing it on:

Droxine A.

"My husband and I where looking at the already-made gift baskets at Walmart for our friends and family. A lady came up to my husband and handed him a $20 bill. She just stated that someone gave it to her and asked her if she would give it to us. Well, needless to say, we were shocked that someone just gave us money for no reason. We finished shopping and got to the car and we decided that we didn’t need the money, so we went back into the store and bought some food and toys to put in the Toys for Tots bin at the front of the store."

The gift of being the middle man:

Related:

3 stories of Christmas giving that made someone's day

The Christmas season brings so many opportunities to serve, whether it just comes from within or a church or charity. Each week, we share stories of times people were kind or experienced something good in their lives.

Joy A."I have a second job as a cashier at Costco. Last weekend I had a lady who looked like she was short on money for Christmas come through my line. As I was about ready to start her order, the next lady in line quietly put a $100 bill in my hand and told me to put it toward the order without letting her know who had done it.

"I did and the customer seemed confused it was so inexpensive. She did not speak much English so I could not even say much to her. When the giver of this gift was ready to check out, I asked if she knew that lady. She said 'no.' She had been looking for the right person to share this gift with. I felt blessed to see the spirit of Christmas in action."

The gift of serendipity:

Sherry A.

"Three years ago we had an extra young man in our home that could not afford to travel home for the holidays. Being in the midst of trying to manage Christmas for our family of seven was tricky enough but felt the need to give this young man a Christmas his mother would not be there to supply. I scaled back our Christmas and cut him in on the limited funds. But as I had my Christmas list and was making the rounds at Target shopping for the best deals and make Christmas stretch a little further, a young woman approached me with an envelope, said 'Merry Christmas' and explained that her family chooses to spend the money they would spend on gifts for each other to donate to others for Christmas.

"I was so touched that I could not speak. How wonderful to have a complete stranger help us fulfill the stocking of another! I humbly accepted the envelope and shared the story as an extra blessing for our Christmas with my family. We knew we were blessed. Thank you, stranger, for showing us another level of the Christmas spirit!"

The gift of gratitude:

Cicleide N.

"The last three years has been so hard for our family. We lost our house few years back, have student loans, a sick child, sick husband and so on. We live in a tiny apartment with four children, and we don't have family to help out and no money to move out.

"Our kids are so used not have anything that they don't even ask because they know we cannot afford it. This year the only thing we are going to get is a couple of movies for the whole family. We already told the kids not expect anything this year, and they were so understanding.

"We are so grateful for the family we have, for the love, and the opportunity to teach our children that Christmas is not only giving or receiving, it's about being grateful for what we already have."

Have you seen any moments of service or kindness? Do you want to share a story about something that made your day? Email a brief story (100 words or fewer) along with any photos or video to crosenlof@ksl.com.

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