good deeds

You don't have to be a billionaire -- nor a jolly, white-bearded figure out of folklore -- to make the holiday season remarkably sweeter for a stranger. Or a lot of strangers. Over the past few years, ordinary people across the country have been taking up the calling of Larry Stewart, the original Secret Santa.

Not all bankers are villains. Though you probably find that pretty hard to believe these days, what with all the loan foreclosures and obscure and punishing fees banks are charging even their best customers.