Good Christmas News From the K-Mart Layaway Department

In a sign that at least some people get the idea behind Christmas,  anonymous donors are going to Kmart stores in many sections of the country and paying off customers' layaway accounts.

Associated Press reporter Margery Beck writes that most of the donors are figuring out which layaway accounts have childrens' clothing and toys, indicating they are trying to help cash-strapped families.

Beck's article quoted Dona Bremser, an Omaha, Neb. nurse who said a Kmart employee called her to say somebody paid the $70 balance on the $200 in gifts she had in layaway for her four-year old son.

"I was speechless. It made me believe in Christmas again," Bremser said.

Kmart officials said the store didn't instigate these donations, but they sure aren't complaining about it.

That this is mostly happening at Kmart stores might be because the retail giant has had a layaway program for many years, so a lot of people know it exists. Walmart has reported a few similar donations at a few of its layaway counters.