Early this morning, braving the cold and a few lazy snowflakes, thousands of hearty Seattlites descended on downtown Seattle to participate in the 2007 Arthritis Foundation Jingle Bell 5K Run & Walk. Santa led the race in a yellow sports car (he’s a twenty-first century elf). It was a sea of red and green; hats sporting Christmas trees, antlers, elf ears, holiday viking horns, Santa caps, Grinch wigs, and even a menorah; Reindeer pushing little elves in sleigh-strollers; winged Sugar Plum Fairies dancing with a flurry of Snowflakes; Felt christmas trees and a gingerbread man. The air was filled with the jingle of bells tied to our running shoes and palpable cheer, warming the chilly air. I got positively overheated by the middle of the race. We ran along the I-5 express lanes, jumping the cracks and holes of the broken pavement. Hundreds of voices bounced off the tunnel walls as the crowd burst into a spontaneous rendition of “Jingle Bells”. This is what the Christmas Spirit is to me: neighbors and strangers joining together by the thousands to celebrate the season and raise money for a worthy cause. Happy Holidays!