On the bad side, an opportunistic thief has sucked the Christmas spirit out of the St Stephen’s Presbyterian Church at East Maitland by stealing children’s gifts that were meant for the Salvation Army to give to those in need.

Maybe whoever stole them was someone in need, but it was the wrong way to go about it nonetheless.

But on the good side, you’ve got the church folk, who out of the kindness of their hearts wanted to collect gifts for children who wouldn’t otherwise get anything this Christmas.

Also on that same note, The Mercury brought you the story of Brayden Kennedy (pictured) on Monday – a 7-year-old boy who had the wisdom and consideration to think of giving up his much-loved toys so someone else could enjoy them too.

The toys Brayden donated will be given to Carrie’s Place and, similar to the Salvation Army, will then be passed on to children who wouldn’t get presents this Christmas.

Brayden’s grandmother Kerry Daniels, a governance committee member for Carrie’s Place, was obviously beaming with pride, but when being interviewed she said something that really spoke to the spirit of Christmas.

Ms Daniels said she would have been touched if anyone would have thought to do something so kind, because it’s just a lovely thing to do and will go a long way to helping someone in need.

Paterson MP Meryl Swanson said at the opening of the new stage of Stockland Green Hills last week that the centre was about more than just buying things … it was a place where friends and families could share a meal, watch a movie and most importantly just enjoy time together.

In our opinion, this is what Christmas should be about. It shouldn’t just be a time to buy things and receive presents.

Christmas should be time to do nice things for other people and recognise nice things that other people do. It should also be a time to cherish and be thankful for what we already have and just enjoy each other’s company.

So the next time you’re stressed about buying enough presents or if you’ll have enough time to pick up that oversized Christmas ham, think about how lucky you are to be able to enjoy Christmas – because so many people won’t be able to this year.