How Nice It Is!

"Love is sweeping the country," proclaimed a song in a 1930s musical. Now the US trend is niceness, says a greeting card company with its finger in the wind.

Well, a certain skepticism might be expected from all those folks who can barely keep a civil tongue in their heads as they call for more national civility. But Hallmark Cards has the social research to back up its investment in a new line of cards keyed to "nice is back in style." And probably everyone could add at least one example.

From Hallmark's menu of nicenesses, the top choice of those surveyed was having a car jump-started by a neighbor. How about being picked up by a four-wheel driver when walking five miles to work in a blizzard? This happened to one of our Boston colleagues last week. Funny thing is the same thing occurred in the blizzard of '78.

Nice may be back in style as a marketing tool, but nice has always been in style with some people. You know who you are.