The Best Christmas written by Joyce Dudder

Christmas means a lot of things to lots of people. To some it means being in debt till next Christmas... spend, spend, spend. To some it means good times with family. To some it's an opportunity to be creative and make gifts, and still to others, the opportunity to make money.

People remember Jesus, the Christ child; Santa and his reindeer, and kids pray for snow.

I learned early that Christmas is about giving... not about getting.

When I was 13 my Dad died... leaving my Mom with five kids (ages 15 years to 18 months) to raise. Three months later, Christmas was upon us. Financial affairs were not settled and we had little money.  My Dad had changed jobs shortly before he died and no longer had life insurance. Then Social Security was slow in coming.

My Mom gave my brother and me each $10 to buy presents for the others kids and each other... not for her.

A neighbor took us shopping at a big store in Portland. They had everything and it was all so expensive, especially from a 13-year-old perspective.

Our neighbor suggested we pool our money to get better gifts. It was a great idea and we went for it!

When it came time to split up and buy for each other, we couldn't do it. Instead, we decided to pool the rest of the money and buy something for our Mom. It wasn't anything we planned ahead, but we "knew" it  was the right thing to do. It was our Christmas present to ourselves.

Again, with help from our neighbor, we searched for sales. We found a toaster for only $10. Boy, were we excited!! We had enough to buy it!!!

Thirty years later, I can still remember that Christmas... and how I felt. My Mom cried when she opened that toaster but we were so happy.

I learned a valuable lesson that year... one I've never forgotten. It is better to give than to receive. Since that time, I've bought and received many gifts worth much more than $10 or even $20, but that Christmas was special.

For me it was the best Christmas.

The Best Christmas was written in 1994 by Joyce Dudder who can be reached via email at fishnut1949@aol.com.