My older brother and I didn’t agree on a lot of things as kids, but one Christmas we came together in our letters to Santa Claus in hopes of bringing home a Nintendo Entertainment System.

But we were kids. We’d seen the commercials and played it at friends’ houses and we’d experienced nothing like it.

We did have an Atari system that had been picked up second hand from somewhere, but Nintendo was a whole new world. It was 8-bits of state of the art electronic joy.

For months leading up to the holiday we’d joined efforts in the push to convince the big guy that it was all we wanted. Building up to a fervor that would make Ralphie’s hope for a Red Ryder BB gun seem mild, we dreamed and pleaded and begged.

My mother of course assured us it was an unlikely ask, and I feel like deep down we knew that was true. After all, I’m not sure Christmas elves specialized in that sort of tech back then.

When the day finally came we tore feverishly and, probably ungratefully, through the wrapping paper in hopes of finding the Nintendo to no avail. Trying our best not to be too upset, and failing miserably, we gave up hope.

Then mom spotted something in the back of the tree.

She pointed out that we’d missed a present. What happened next is a bit blurry to me, but my mom tells me the tree shook like it was in a windstorm as I crawled underneath and rushed out with a large box. We tore open the present to reveal against all odds that we’d in fact got a Nintendo. What ensued were tears of joy, loud celebrations and years of developing my hand eye coordination on that Nintendo, which we still have today.

In fact my kids still play it often when visiting my parents.

For me that particular Christmas marked the apex of holiday magic. My mother and I cherish the memory. When people talk about Christmas magic, I know I felt it that day and I have felt it many days since, though as I age I’ve come to experience it differently.

As a father, I try to capture that magic for my children to experience, because the older I get the more I realize just how amazing being a kid can be.

Of course I also realize how fortunate I was as a child and that not everyone has such wonderful holiday memories.

In my years as a journalist one thing that always impresses me is how people come together to help others this time of year. Around Thanksgiving we saw hundreds of volunteers step up to ensure people had access to holiday meals.

Now our newspaper is filled with pictures of donations made by businesses and individuals who are trying to make sure the upcoming holidays are magical for thousands of children around the county.

While St. Lawrence County has long rested near the top of the state’s most impoverished counties, I believe if there were a list of most generous counties in the state this one would top it.

From Toys for Tots to the Salvation Army and dozens of giving tree programs, and Lisbon’s very own Lights on the River, which puts on a holiday light display to raise money and donations for local food pantries, the endless list of those selfless helpers is amazing.

I can’t possibly list all the organizations and programs that are working to help, but I thank you sincerely.

It’s your efforts as givers in the world that make holiday magic real.

So give what you can spare, help how you can and remember that even small acts of kindness can change someone’s day. Thanks for reading.

Jimmy Lawton is news editor of North Country This Week and NorthCountryNow.com