Any good, self-respecting Southerner knows his or her way around a ladleful of grits and can espouse their greatness, despite what Yankees might say.

Ask any local restaurant server who works at an establishment that serves grits, and they’ll have a story about the Northerners who ask questions like, “What is a grit, anyway?” or “Where does a grit come from?”

Such comments are sure to make a Southerner chuckle a bit, but most of them eventually also try to explain to our grit-deprived friends just how good grits can be. That’s the way Southerners are, generally, always trying to share the good things in life with others.

If you think you know all there is to know about grits, you might be right, but you may not know a thing about GRITS. The former may be tasty, but the latter is far more satisfying.

GRITS is a creation by a local woman who, quite frankly, made a mistake, then figured out a way to make the best of it.

By accidentally ordering far too many boxes to send a friend who was serving in the military overseas a care package, Pattie Reed Jones created GRITS — Gifts Raised in The South.

Two years later and the Vidalia woman and her team of volunteers have sent more than 1,000 gift boxes to soldiers working on our nation’s behalf overseas.

The point is to make sure our soldiers don’t feel forgotten.

This year, GRITS is aiming to deliver another 500 gift boxes, but they need all of our help. For more information on how you can help, contact Reed Insurance in Vidalia.

We can think of few things that epitomize Southern hospitality and the Christmas spirit better than GRITS.