It’s a slippery slope — the descent from doubt to disbelief, especially at Christmas. This is the season when hope is at its highest. People, young and old, ache for a glimpse of something good and right, strong and true. Too often, our hope plummets when it comes face to face with reality.

On Dec. 20, as I descended Broad Street in Auburn, taking in a picturesque view of Lewiston, reality hit me right in the face. More truthfully, I hit it. The road was sheer ice. My brakes were useless. Gravity was my guide as I slid into one car’s rear-end, and the grille of a truck.

But as I slipped and slid, a group of young men appeared. They pushed cars up hills, over to roadsides, out of harm’s way. They told me what to do — my safety and the safety of countless, nameless others, their only concern.

I do not know the names of these men. Many of them did not seem to know each other. They were strangers out in the dark on a cold winter’s night. Strangers helping strangers.

These men gave me the gift of Christmas. Without a doubt, they restored my hope in something good and right, strong and true.

Yes, Lewiston-Auburn, Christmas is here. It’s been here all along.

Alice Ruvane, Poland