After a couple weeks of pretty much nonstop nastiness at municipal meetings -- highlighted by one resident actually accusing a Kilbuck official of putting melted marshmallows in her mail box -- I am issuing a plea that we all remember that this is a season of love, giving and joy.

Yeah, right.

Despite the potential sales revenue to be gained from a story that John Fader and/or Russ Hardiman -- or better yet, solicitor Chuck Means -- crept along an unlit Kilbuck roadway to deposit this Halloween treat, we would bet the printing presses that they were not the culprits.

It's all right to disagree -- heck, dissent is the cornerstone of American government -- but the personal attacks have got to stop. For those involved in the melees they may be cathartic, but for the rest of us they are downright painful to watch.

They're painful because we can see what the combatants cannot -- that, for the most part, there is no malice involved in disagreements and criticisms that naturally occur; that, for the most part, the personal attacks come from bruised egos and hurt feelings.

Many of our local governments remind us these days of the dysfunctional families that are prominently featured in so many people's holiday memories. In January, when a few new members join the families, everyone will be on their best behavior for a while.

But until then, we will wade through a gauntlet of meetings and wait for the spark that sets off the next round.