I saw a news story the other day fitting of the season.

Once a year, a group of friends goes on an excursion together.  They pick a different local restaurant and make a reservation for lunch or dinner.  It takes about three weeks to pick just the right restaurant and usually about ten friends join this annual tradition. Each agrees to bring a fresh, crisp $100 bill.  Just outside the restaurant one friend, a different one each year, is designated as the collector and holder of the funds.   They pool their cash with the solitary purpose of surprising their lucky server with the most generous tip ever in the holiday season. 

When the bill arrives, they pay just as they would on any other day. This time, they include the generous collection where a credit card or cash tip would otherwise have been.  And then they sit back and enjoy the gift they have bestowed -- which is then a gift for them.  A graphic example of our Gotham motto -- it is better to give than receive but what goes around comes around. 

I was taken by this story on so many levels.  The group has been perpetuating this tradition for years.  Each year they reminisce about the joy that the prior year’s beneficiary gave to them.  It has become less and less about the excitement of the lucky server who happened to be assigned to serve this table, and more and more about the pure and genuine excitement that this gift brought to its givers.

Pretty awesome, right?  I like this idea. Anyone want to join me?