During the depression in 1939, my mother and my four little sisters were on our own. A year before, my father had left to find a job in another town. A few months later he wrote my mother that he had met and fallen in love with another woman and would not be coming back. As children, we never saw him again and he never sent any money for our upbringing.

That year my mother did everything she could to make ends meet, put a roof over our heads, and food on the table. She worked all day cleaning people’s houses and scrubbing floors and at night she ironed their clothes well into the night.

Although my mother tried her best to provide for us, supper was sometimes toast and tea or bread with mustard or catsup because most of the time she had no money to buy meat or cheese. If it wasn’t for the free lunch at the Catholic school we attended we probably would have starved. Many others were going through hard times, too. Jobs were far and few between, and everything was rationed.

It was Christmas time and I knew we would not be getting much or anything at all for Christmas. We wore uniforms at school, so the only thing that was different was our shoes. Oh, how I longed for a pair of shiny patent leather shoes like some of the other girls had. My old saddle shoes were worn and too small for my feet.

All of us girls wrote out our Christmas lists. My little sisters all wanted Santa to bring them baby dolls. On my list I only put one thing—patent leather shoes. I knew I probably wouldn’t get them, but a girl can wish.

On Christmas morning, there were five packages under the tree wrapped in brown paper each with a candy cane on it. The little ones rushed to the tree to open their presents. Inside was a dime store doll with a blanket that my mother had knitted. I retrieved my present thinking it was the size of a shoe box, hoping that somehow they were the shoes I had asked for. I opened the box and saw that my mother had polished and shined her own black shoes with squat Cuban heels. I looked at the shoes and then at her face, tears were forming in her eyes as I thanked her and told her how beautiful they were. I knew that besides her work shoes, they were the only pair of shoes she had.

I wore those shoes to school after the Christmas break and was proud to have them, even though some of the girls made fun of them. They didn’t understand that my wonderful mother gave me the most precious gift she had; The Gift of Love.

Pass on the gift of love to someone this Christmas Season.

Gifts of Christmas Kindness

Here are a few ideas that you and your family can do this Christmas Season... God Bless & Merry Christmas!  

• “Adopt” a needy family and buy gifts for them.
• Make cookies for your neighbors
• Make Christmas cards for your elderly neighbors
  
• Shovel a walk for someone
• Collect food for a food drive or pantry
• Collect hats and scarves to donate
• Donate toys for Christmas drives
• Volunteer at a soup kitchen or pantry
• Write a Christmas Card to a serviceman
• Contribute to the Red Kettle fund