STORY AND PHOTOS BY KAREN BOSSICK

Tom Lovell recalled when the Sawtooth Rangers used to pull Christmas celebrants through the snow via horse-drawn wagon.

And Martha “Beaver” Burke, of course, could regale friends with tales of how John Wayne helped her pull a box of cereal off the shelves at Atkinsons’ Market one Christmas.

The Senior Connection was abuzz as a couple hundred people gathered this past week for the Senior Connection’s Christmas Brunch.

Tim and Kathy Stevens and Taul Paul and Bill Brandt joined others in singing holiday songs as Mitzi Mecham played the keyboards. And members of the Limelight Hotel concocted mimosas out of orange juice and champagne.

This is the second year the hotel bunch has made their way south from Ketchum to be of service.

“Aspen (Skiing Co.) gives us two paid days a year to do community service. And this is one of our passionate causes,” said the hotel’s general manager John Curnow. “We take our other service day in June to help the Sawtooth Society mend fences that might have been broken by the snow and clear debris along the trails.

“The Limelight wants to be part of the community and we have fun doing it,” he added.

Christmas sweaters were in abundance, including a Christmas vest that Montana Benson got at the Gold Mine Thrift Store that featured dozens of fun pins, including an elephant balancing a champagne glass on its trunk and—gasp!—a landline phone.

And Fern Stephenson dazzled everyone with her birthday crown.

“She’s been celebrating that birthday for a week now!” said one of her friends.

The brunch followed a traditional turkey dinner with all the trimmings that had been served up the day before.

This particular meal featured carved ham, sausage and bacon, quiche, blueberry blintzes and warm chocolate chip bread pudding, among other things.

The free brunch was underwritten by Marty and Mila Lyon and Mila’s parents Chet and Pat Potuzak for the third year in a row as their Christmas gift to their families

“It’s a holiday tradition of the Lyon and Potuzak families to support and give to organizations that inspire us with their missions, goals and activities, instead of giving gifts to each other,” said Mila Lyon.

“Remember the film ‘Pay It Forward’? One sibling’s family donates to Old Dog Haven, a program that provides loving and safe homes for abandoned senior dogs. Another collects cold winter clothing to give out during the holidays, along with food for the local food pantry. And a new project is Ben’s Bells Project. Their mission is to teach individuals and communities about the positive impacts of intentional kindness and to inspire people to practice kindness as a way of life. Be Kind. A lovely sentiment.”

In fact, there seems to be a movement to encourage kindness underfoot.

Boise Mayor Dave Bieter said in his recent State of the City address that he will launch Boise Kind at the Treefort Music Fest in March.

“Kindness, generosity, civility and respect are more than just common courtesy,” he said during his address. “They are cornerstones of our community.”

Boise Kind will encourage residents who perform kind acts to document them digitally. It will also involve a day of service called Boise Day and a partnership with the school district.

Ben’s Bells, which Lyon spoke of, has studios in Tucson, Phoenix and Connecticut.

“Just as solving a calculus problem requires advanced math skills, the challenges of daily life require advanced kindness skills,” Ben’s Bells website says.

Ben’s Bells encourages honoring those who inspire kindness daily and make their communities a better place by presenting them with a Ben’s Bell and Bend’s Bells gift pack. It offers Kindness Education programs, sponsors Kindness Matters community dialogues. Proponents paint Be Kind murals around their communities and offer Kindness Coins that thank recipients for sharing their kindness and urging them to pass it on.