Christmas Memories

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Christmas Memories  (E) Second Place No Dialogue Contest December 2016 #2105716 by Chris Breva

478 words

Many people sort of take Christmas for granted. They often fail to realize that people around them are suffering. Just because they are having a wonderful time and have everything that they need doesn't necessarily mean that everybody else is. There was a time when neighbors would go out of their way to help others. Those days often seem a distant memory.

There was one incident which occurred many years ago. A man and his wife were raising eight children. While they had the assistance of the man's father who also lived in the home, they were still mere peasants trying to scratch out a living from the scraps thrown to them by the powers that be. It was a tough life indeed. Feeding a family of eleven was a chore in itself. The mother often worked from daylight to dark trying to help earn a living and to care for the house. She was an excellent woman and did her very best under such meager circumstances. It's really quite difficult to keep a house when one has no running water but she managed to do so.

One year the main bread winner of the household became very ill. He began having pains in his abdomen. he went to the doctor where he was diagnosed as having a hernia. It needed surgery as soon as possible. The timing could not have been worse however. It was the holidays and he needed every cent he could get to provide his family with a good Christmas. After all, if his children woke up Christmas morning and Santa had not come there would have been many broken hearts.

Both the man and his wife tried to figure out a solution to the problem. Like so many other families their credit was maxed out. The wife's income combined with Grandfather's was barely enough to cover the bills. father had to have the surgery and absolutely couldn't work until he did. While he had the ability to pay for the surgery with insurance there was no solution to his loss of income. They were up against a wall.

Then Father went into the hospital for surgery. He would be there during Christmas. On Christmas Eve mother sat the children down to explain to them that Santa wasn't going to come that year and why. Just as she did the neighbor's car pulled into the drive. Santa Claus emerged from the driver's side and approached the house with a huge box of goodies. There were toys galore. Everything the children had wanted and more was there. Santa had also gone to the grocery store and bought enough food to feed them not only Christmas but most of the following month as well. Mother looked at Santa and wanted to thank him. Santa placed his finger over his lips and quietly slipped out the door.

478 words

Featured in "Short Stories Newsletter (December 21, 2016)" 

Second Place No Dialogue Contest December 2016