Even though I didn't have a lot as a child, I always knew that my parents gave me all that they could. I knew they supported me in everything in I did. They were always there when I needed them. And, last but not least, I knew they loved me for who I am and all that I could be.
I can remember going to the store one Christmas Eve and getting a pair of cowgirl boots. I must have been about 6 or 7 years old at the time. That was the only present I had that year, but I didn't care. Just having a tree with lights was enough to make my brother and me happy. We had so much fun decorating the tree. I think we decorated that tree everyday until Christmas. We would take all the ornaments and lights off and start from scratch each time.
One year we didn't have a tree at all. Times must have been really hard that year, because there weren't any presents either. I remember going to my Grandmother's house on Christmas Eve. Her tree was all decorated, and there were presents under it to all the family members. A short time later, my Mother told us she had to go home to get something she had forgotten. While she was gone, my brother and I decided we needed to put more presents under the tree, so we found some empty boxes and wrapping paper. We spent quite some time wrapping those boxes to put under the tree. In each box we would put a note or some trinket we had, so it wouldn't be empty. When we came out to put the presents under the tree, boy did we get a surprise. Santa had been!!! There were toys and new clothes just for us. We knew what my Grandmother had done, but we never said a word. I will always cherish the memories I have of my brother, and the fun we had that Christmas Eve at my Grandmother's house. That was the last year I shared Christmas with him because the following year he was no longer with us.
Another time that stands out in my mind, is the gift I gave a teacher one year. All the children in my room were bringing the teacher a gift. I knew that there wasn't any money to buy her a gift, but I had to bring her something. I found an old purse that had a gold chain on it. My Mother took the chain off and tied it together to make a necklace. The next day when I went to school, I could hardly wait to give my teacher her gift. As I watched her open all the other gifts, I just wanted to run and hide. I realized that my gift was nothing but a tacky piece of junk compared to the others. But, when she opened the box, you would have thought I had given her a 14K gold necklace. My teacher knew what I had made it from I'm sure, but she was a very gracious lady. God Bless Mrs. Pinky Oreo.
The first Christmas tree I had after I moved away from home was so big I could hardly it get through the door. Each day until Christmas, I would shop for more ornaments and lights to go on the tree. I probably decorated it at least a dozen times before I was satisfied. I would wrap each present in the biggest box I could find, so it would look like I had lots of gifts under it.
After I got married, Christmas was even more special to me. I had someone to share it with. I would still always buy the biggest tree I could find. My husband would never say a word, no matter how much he had to cut off to get it through the front door. I would always start decorating the last week in November and by Christmas Eve, every room in our house was decked out top to bottom.
On December 3, 1982 our daughter was born. When we came home from the hospital a few days later, the first thing I did was put up a tree. I made my husband drive 30 miles to get it. We spent hours decorating and as soon as we finished, we laid God's gift to us, our little sleeping angel under the tree.
One of the fondest memories I have of my Father, was giving his granddaughter a big red wagon for her second Christmas. She had just turned a year old and he just about drove me nuts until I got that wagon under the tree. He was trying to give to her what he hadn't been able to give to me as a child.
