That guy who used to occupy this space - McGrady or McCleary or whatever the heck his name is - didn't exactly endear himself to Hingham women, what with his regular diatribes against those loveliest of ladies on the South Shore.
Now, I happen to be married to a Hingham woman so there'll be none of that carrying on here.
But even a broken clock is right twice a day, and you've got to give the devil his due. Old McWhat's-his-name got one thing right, and that was his annual call to alms for Christmas in the City.
The Christmas season seems to get longer, and more commercial, every year. The decorations at the malls went up sometime around August. That oldies station has been playing nonstop, syrupy Christmas music for about a month now. And, if this continues, we are in danger of reducing the holiday to nothing more than an excuse to engage in unbridled consumerism.
But, now in its 18th year, Christmas in the City retains a refreshingly simple, noble approach, in keeping with the season. Its goal is to give a homeless child the toy of their choice. The gift-wrapped toy is given to the child at a huge, magical party, complete with clowns, face painters, a Gospel choir, and pro athletes. Last year, Celtics guard Tony Allen showed up and took some homeless kids to a Celtics game.
There is no overhead, no administrative fee taken out. Jake Kennedy, his wife, Sparky, and more than 1,000 volunteers don't take a dime and they give of themselves, reminding us all what Christmas is supposed to be about.
"We want every kid to walk out of the party with that one gift they asked for," Jake Kennedy said. "These kids have challenges every day that you and I can't imagine. If we can do this one thing for them, what's better than that?"
At his Downtown Crossing physical therapy practice, Jake Kennedy puts his arm on patients in ways that have nothing to do with increasing their range of motion.
"People are generous," Kennedy was saying, as he flipped through a stack of requests for toys from homeless shelters throughout the city and the suburbs. "But every year, right around now, a week before the party, we don't know how we're going to make it. We need help."
Last year, there were 2,600 kids at the party, which is held at an undisclosed, if large, location. There are also about 800 families who are bad off, but not in homeless shelters - yet.
"We take their name and we'll call them a week after the party," Jake Kennedy was saying, as his cavernous office slowly morphs into something like Santa's toy shop, stacked with presents. "We try not to say no to anyone."
This year, with the dramatic rise in heating oil prices and the subprime mess, the need is greater than ever. The calls for help have been outpacing the calls to help.
That's where you come in.
You can drop by Kennedy Brothers Physical Therapy at 45 Franklin St., or you can call (617) 542-6611, to find out what you can do to help Christmas in the City. The best thing you can do to honor the spirit of the cause is to call, get the name of a kid, buy the gift they asked for, wrap it, and drop it off at Kennedy Brothers.
And, yes, there is a Santa Claus, someone who makes sure children and toys are delivered on time, and her name is Nancy McDonald. She's been there from the beginning and possesses the logistical genius of George S. Patton, coordinating the dispatch and simultaneous arrival of 105 buses carrying the kids and their parents.
And, not for nothin', Nancy McDonald lives in the beautiful town of Hingham.
Put that in your Christmas pipe and smoke it, McGrady.
Kevin Cullen is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at cullen@globe.com.
