This would be a good Christmas Story to read to your children.
It was about the time of the Great Depression in the United States. Times were tough. Money was scarce. Her father was a farmer and, due to severe weather, the crops had not come in that year. Now it was Christmas in Howe, Texas and the family had no money for presents. At least they had cedar trees on their land and were able to cut down a Christmas tree and decorate it with strings of popcorn and paper made decorations.
There were four girls and one son in the family. Johnny, a little girl named after her uncle, was the youngest child. Her parents knew that at this young age she would not understand why she wasn’t getting a present at Christmas. So the parents fretted and the older children worried. They finally decided that they would share the meager amount of money they all had and make sure that Johnny awoke on Christmas morning to presents from Santa.
The little brown-eyed girl’s eyes were wide as she saw a little cardboard Santa under the tree with a knapsack on his back. In that backpack were a few 
coins for her to buy some candy. And also under the tree was a simple, sweet baby doll that she still remembers these many years later. She was a girly girl and loved baby dolls. No one else got anything that Christmas except the joy that comes with giving. Her entire family had given everything they had for the love of the baby of the family.
This true story is about my mother (pictured with me above) who was the baby of the family. My mother and I will be celebrating the holiday together. All of the other family members are now deceased.
So this holiday season, let’s hope that we all have as much giving spirit as my Mother’s family did long, long ago.
Copyright 2010, Sharon Scott. No reproduction without written permission from author.
P.S. Please see my other column about gifts, children and technology at “The Counselor’s Corner.”
