Coffee shop ‘secret Santas’ have spread joy of giving throughout Skibbereen

BY MARY MCCARTHY

HUMAN kindness is indeed overflowing in Skibbereen this festive season. This spirit has always been our tradition. In times past, people went to town for the messages. The ‘messages’ were not only the groceries, but making enquiries about the well-being of others.

‘This year, Skibbereen Secret Santa is a movement of kindness in our community that supports and keeps this generosity alive,’ according to Fabian Ward, manager of O’Neill’s Coffee shop in Skibbereen.

‘Over a week ago, when one customer bought a cup of coffee for the next, a chain of events started with nine or ten random acts of kindness,’ he explained.

‘This is poignant at Christmas, because you do not know who is going to benefit. The more it happens, there is a better chance of reaching someone who really needs it. It is giving an experience as well as a gift. That is what the Christmas community spirit is all about. And why not do it?’

‘We have introduced this concept to individual businesses, shops, and restaurants throughout Skibbereen, but this is not only confined to businesses,’ according to local woman Majella O’Neill, who is one of the organisers of the initiative.

‘There are no limits to what an expression of human kindness can mean,’said Majella.

‘Any gesture that brings a smile to one’s face like offering a Christmas greeting, helping someone with their shopping, or anonymously, buying a small token or beverage for the next customer in a particular business is how it works.’

‘Christmas is a time when we wish each other peace, joy and happiness,’ she said.

‘The image of Santa Claus stealing into the house at night, and secretly, leaving presents embodies the spirit of giving altruistically, is the image of Christmas. Witnessing or imagining the joy on someone’s face as they receive an unexpected gesture of goodwill brings so much joy to the giver as well as the receiver.’

‘At the moment, we are living in a troubled world and it’s good to know how to make a difference,’ she said. ‘We can do something to impact our little corner of the world here in Skibbereen by generating an atmosphere of tolerance, kindness, and generosity. Small, simple acts of kindness can change someone’s day and uplift someone’s spirit, and perhaps that attitude may be contagious and ripple out into the larger world.’