Delete: My new winter Olympic sport

Email Palooza is how I can best describe the state of my two email address inboxes on Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday. It became like a game of delete Whack-a-Mole to try to keep the sales/marketing emails from taking over. I quit counting the number I was deleting at 801.

The bulk of these emails weren’t from unknown random businesses but from local and national companies I’d actually done business with this past year. There wasn’t a single email informing of a sale or special but multiples each day. Add to that the local nonprofits that are doing end-of-year fundraising with tax deductions, and you have the perfect email storm.

Thankfully, there were far fewer text message sales pitches.

I got to thinking how few of these emails I actually opened, and more importantly how many I actually responded to by visiting the store or website to take advantage of the offers included. The answer is none. Zero, zip, nada.

It seems, for me at least, I respond to print advertisements more consistently than to electronic ads. If an ad appears in my newspaper or even in my physical USPS mailbox or during a TV show I don’t view it as an intrusion. But the proliferation of email appeals has soured me on buying from those businesses.

I’m willing to admit that this might be generational. So if you have a different reaction to email solicitations, I’d love to hear from your thoughts.

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A few years ago, a wise friend who works with children in fragile family circumstances told me we should never tell children that Santa brings presents to children who've been good. There are so many good and wonderful children who, through no fault of their own, won't see the things on their list from Santa under the tree on Christmas morning. So I've taken "Have you been good this year?" out of my vocabulary unless it's to children I'm intending to surprise with a Santa gift.

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The first day of the 12th month has dawned. In 27 short days we’ll celebrate the arrival of a new year, but between now and then, there’s much Christmas to celebrate.

This time of year we all wish, or pretend, that life is a Hallmark holiday movie. But alas, life is seldom tied so neatly in a pretty happy ending bow. The holidays do bring out the best in people ... generous hearts, helping hands and wishing strangers Merry Christmas. We seem to pause a little longer to watch the snow falling or smile at the sight of a child sitting on Santa’s lap. Christmas songs on the radio also bring a smile.

What I wish is that we could and would remember this feeling of goodwill toward our fellow man and practice kindness in March and June and September, every day of every month.

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P.S.: One kind word can warm three winter months.

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Happy Birthday today to Tina McWhorter, Bayley Brooks, Dirk Fredekind, Doug Shevalier and Barry Corigilano. Tomorrow, Jennifer McGrath, Sharlene Scott, Marna Bateman and Annette Barstow will sing the birthday song. On Friday, Kathy McDowell, Melanie Chun, Jocelyn Stott, Jennifer Hawkins and Kylie Allen ring the birthday bell. Cheryl Fitting, Patricia Marrs, Nathan Smalley, Dean Opsal, Catherine Cronin, Rhonda Newton and Randy Duncan take another trip around the sun Saturday. On Sunday, Tammy Schneider, Kelly Ferguson and Becky McIntire Bufeuillet will celebrate. Debbie Findlay, Cecilia Fehling, Brandon Quigley, Cheri Banta, Melissa Williams and Cindy Jarnagin blow out the candles Monday. Dick Wandrocke, Shannon Clark, Richard Carlson, Burt Bachelder, Matthew Lemieux and Gavin Broadwater slice the birthday cake Dec. 10.

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Kerri Rankin Thoreson is a member of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists and the former publisher of the Post Falls Tribune. Main Street appears every Wednesday in The Press and Kerri can be contacted on Facebook or via email thoreson.kerri@gmail.com.