I recently watched this brilliant video from comedian Russell Howard where he explains why 2017 has actually been an amazing year despite horrors such as Trump, Brexit and other negatives that have started or continued this year. It made me realise that I have actually seen/read a lot of uplifting stories this December which have helped to finish the year on a high and make 2017 seem like maybe it has been a good year after all. An uplifting story can often be a difficult thing to pull off well. For example, it's popular for Youtubers to record and release videos of them feeding homeless people. Sometimes this comes across as genuine and kind. Other times, it doesn't work out quite as well, such as when popular Youtuber Vitaly released a video of him feeding the homeless that included him shouting at groups of homeless people for not lining up properly as he handed out sandwiches. Some of these examples were brilliantly lampooned by Youtubers H3H3Productions in this video. Here are four of my favourite uplifting stories I have seen/read this month.
#4 - Couple open their shop on Christmas day for lonely people.
This article tells the story of Shasi and Pallu Patel who open their newsagents on Christmas day, play carols and hand out free mince pies to anyone who drops by. They have actually been doing this for a number of years ever since one of their elderly customers told them she had been robbed near Christmas time and they noticed there was an outpouring of support from the local community to help provide the victim with presents to give her a good Christmas. They've been doing their bit ever since. They even look as kind as you would expect them to.
#3 - Scottish island takes in Syrian refugees who give back in return.
Bute is a small Scottish island of just 6,500 people who, two years ago, took in 24 families of Syrian refugees who were fleeing the threat of death and persecution. There was initially some skepticism from some of the locals over the news but the refugees have now brought many positives to the island including opening shops and businesses in an area where the opposite was happening beforehand. Also, some of the Syrians are now helping a local food bank to deliver parcels of food to those who need it in the local area during the festive period. You can read more about it here.
#2 - American football coach takes in one of his players.
Sam Greiner was an American football coach who realised whilst dropping one of his players (Braheam Murphy) off that he didn't actually have a fixed abode. Upon finding this out he decided to actually take Braheam to live with him and his family in his own home. The article tells us that Braheam now gets straight A's at school and has a scholarship. We can only assume that this is probably largely due to somebody having the kindness to offer him some security and consistency at a time when he had neither.
#1 - Teenager buys his classmate a WWE belt.
Not much to say about this one other than it was one of those viral videos that definitely seemed worth a share.
What videos/stories of people being bros have you enjoyed this winter?
Also, I'm volunteering for a brilliant, local charity this Christmas who give homeless people in Leicester a bed, a roof over their head, a meal and some company over the difficult winter period. You can donate to them here.
