CHRISTMAS STORY

I wrote this some time ago and it has been published in a couple of newspapers but I think this might be a good time to renew this Christmas Story.  I hope you enjoy it.
                                         
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Many years ago as Christmas time approached, a family had little to look forward to for Christmas because people were unemployed and there was no money for most families to buy presents or even a Christmas tree.  In one family, a sickly little boy understood the situation and didn't expect anything.

The Father and Mother were determined that something should point to Christmas and happier days to come.  Father went to a little nearby creek and cut a small bush that was bare of leaves.  Evergreen trees didn't grow in that area at that time.  He fixed a base from scrap wood and set it up in the house.  Two older brothers and the sister gathered the bright red berries from some Holly Trees and pretty orange berries from Sumac bush and brought them home.  The Mother had poppd some popcorn and threade several needles with very long threads.  A singlee wood burning stove kept the room warm as, that evening,  they sat around the dining table by the light of their single kerosene lamp, they sewed the berries and popcorn onto threads that the mother had prepared.  Sister had the idea to cut colored comic strips from the newspapers into short ribbons which she she pasted into loops with a mixrure of flour and water to make a colorful chain.

The family had a happy time making these decorations and placing them on their little barren Christmas tree.  As they did so, the little tree became alive with the color from their creations until its beauty exceeded that of any purchased Christmas tree with artificial decorations.

The Mother talked to the children and told them to compare what they had done to the little tree to what God would do to the other trees when winter had gone and buds, blossoms, leaves and fruit would decorate them.  She said that God would change their bad times in the same way they had changed their tree and He would change  the other trees and plants.

After having that good time together, all went to bed expecting no more in the morning than the cake and pie that their Mother had made.  The Father came home from his work as the day broke.  I guess Santa Claus came during the night for there was one package under their homemade Christmas tree.  Whose could it be??  What could it be??  They all gathered around to see. 

Thie little boy's name was on the package so it was passed to him to be opened.  He yanked at the stringthat tied the package, tore at the colored newspaper comic strip paper until he could see some round yellow wheels and feel a large round body inside the package.  He couldn't wait longer.  He ripped the paper away and there in his hands was a beautiful black and yellow STEAM LOCOMOTIVE.  No one seemed to care that this was the only present under the tree.  None seemed to notice that the boiler and wheels looked as if they may have been cut from a limb of the mulbery tree in the back yard, and, didn't that smoke stack look a little like one of the Mother's thread spools and the headlight, perhaps a thimble..  Didn't Dad have some scrap lumber just the size of the boiler and platform.  That black and yellow paint didn't seem very dry,either.

The little boy kept his present until He became a strong and healthy father and the whole family kept the memoryof their most happy and beautiful Christmas until they were very old.  Blossoms did come to the tree and God did bring a more bountiful time but nothing diminishes the memory of that very special Christmas.

The best part of this story is it is true.  I was that sickly little boy.

Any day, even Christmas Day, becomes the kind of day that you have decided to make it to be.