"The Best Christmas Ever"
Written By Carol
- Raising four children presented challenges at every turn, and the holidays were no exception. The Christmas excitement usually began as soon as we finished eating our turkey dinner on Thanksgiving Day. Suddenly, Burl and I became the parents of four hyperactive monsters. It was as if they had been zapped by an unseen demonic force. By the time school was out for the holidays, we could just forget any semblance of normal life until December 26th. They loved Christmas, and we tried to make each year memorable.
One year we faced a financial challenge beyond our comprehension. I had been hospitalized numerous times while battling hepatitis, and any so-called extra money went to pay my medical expenses. As Burl and I tried to plan Christmas surprises, we felt totally defeated. One trip to the kids’ favorite toy store revealed we couldn’t afford a single item on any of their wish lists. We were at a loss.
We asked God to show us a way to give the kids a wonderful Christmas. One morning as I read the newspaper, an ad popped off the page. It read: "Must Move…have lots of things to sell." It turned out that an Air Force family who was being transferred during the holidays had placed the ad, and they were in desperate need of money. We went to their sale expecting to find only broken, beat up toys. To our surprise, we found perfect gifts. The kids loved animals and even with our dog, Trixie, our cat, Tresa, and our parakeet, Blue Boy, they always begged for more pets. Our eyes stared in disbelief at the items we found at the garage sale. There set two large aquariums. Each one was complete with gravel, ceramic decorations, greenery, and pump. All we had to add was water and fish! They were perfect for Kevin and Jason. Ronny needed a white dove to use in his world famous magic act, and we found ourselves gazing at two white doves in a beautiful cage. Victoria loved hamsters, and you guessed it! They had a soft, brown, furry, hamster complete with cage, exercise ball, and a maze of plastic trails.
It seemed like our problem had been solved, but there was still the issue of cost. We had managed to put together $50.00 before going to the sale, and we nervously inquired about the prices of the desired items. The man wrote a long list of figures on his notepad, and he began to add up the items. Our hearts sank as we waited for his answer. He said. "This is going to sound crazy, but if you will take all of these items, I’ll sell them to you for $50.00!" We could hardly believe our ears. He said it broke his heart to move his family during the Christmas season. His children were sad about having to sell the aquariums, doves, and hamster. He explained that it would help them to know another family had "adopted" the entire lot. Happily we paid him the $50.00, and loaded our treasures into the car. Now the kids would have lovely surprises on Christmas morning, and we did not end up with a huge charge account at the toy store. Another family benefited from our gain! PERFECT!
Burl and I were now more excited than the kids, and we could hardly wait for Christmas morning as we anticipated the kids’ reaction to their unique gifts. We were not disappointed. Christmas morning arrived with exclamations of joy. "Oh, boy!" "This is just what I wanted." "I can’t believe it." "I love it."
Later in the day, we explained how the pets and accessories had been acquired. They appreciated their gifts even more after learning they were "adopting" precious possessions of children whom they would never know. They understood that the true meaning of Christmas was not in the gifts they received, but in the knowledge that the purchase of their gifts brought peace to another family facing adversity.
Today, many years later, they still refer to that year as the best Christmas ever!
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