To the Editor,

How pleasant it is to be with nice people.

A bevy of matronly women gushing over decorations on a well-lit Christmas tree is certainly nice. What’s even nicer are the same women making a fuss over a baby smiling his gummy, toothless smile while gurgling with delight, waving his little arms and kicking his chubby legs.

Some things are not nice at all.

In attendance at a church service were two young men listening to a solo sung by a portly gentleman who’d most willingly volunteered to sing when the pastor asked if anyone should like to sing a solo.

There he stood, and with considerable aplomb he began to sing all six verses of a hymn. He never once looked up from his hymnal as he performed with the vocal quality of a rasp busily shaping a piece of wood. Two young men in the audience began to laugh — not out loud—but their effort to suppress their laughter only caused the entire bench on which they were established to thump. The bump and grind of the bench became quite audible but the vocalist remained unperturbed, sonorously droning on well into the fifth verse.

By no means ordinary slouches, one was a USAF pilot and the other an aspiring engineer. But having impressive credentials did not exempt them from being asked by a lady to leave.

Her effort to restore calm backfired, however, for the two guys could be heard outside the church — their laughter now unrestrained and boisterous — one’s was characterized by a deep bass rumbling while the other laughed in a high-pitched falsetto refrain.

Their noise, carrying inside the church, caused children in the audience to giggle out loud. Even some of the elders got into the act. The flummoxed minister failed to restore order.

During another occasion the same two gentlemen were in audience at another church. This time they nicely sat spellbound to a spirited refrain of “Onward Christian Soldiers” sung by the choir accompanied by an orchestra.

“I feel like marching,” one the fellows remarked to his companion.

“Go ahead and march,” his buddy encouraged.

And march he did — arising from his pew he tramped up the center aisle where he did a crisp about face at the front, and facing his audience coming back down the aisle, he marched in cadence with the orchestra, sporting a big happy smile. Not to be outdone, his buddy followed suit. No doubt others in the audience would have joined in the act but were denied when the orchestra sadly was done with “Onward”.

“The Lord moves in mysterious ways,” the minister announced to his delighted congregation, after which he invited the men to come back again. Which they did.

Let’s be nice. Let’s admire decorations on a Christmas tree during this forthcoming season and ooh and aah over bathed, powdered and smiling babies, kicking the air at wonderful things.

Gail Wickstrom

Sebring, Ohio