My Christmas Miracle - (a repost from last year by request , Thank you)

This is a true story from the memories of Christmas's in the past. My husband

Bill and I had four children, three sons, born in 1951, 1953 and 1955, and then

we had our only daughter born in 1961.

My husband worked for the State while we had our sons, and there was always

a steady income coming in. It wasn't much as he was a school bus

driver/custodian. By the time our third son was born, he wanted to do

something to make more money for our family, it took giving up a lot of the

security of a State job and benefits, but we were in our early thirties, and

decided if we were going to do something, that was the time.

In 1955 just before our third son was born, he went into business

for himself as a painting contractor which made us a very good living.

He was very talented with his hands and people liked him, and he had

recalls on the jobs he did and recommendations by word of mouth. He

soon had a regular following. In 1961, our daughter was born and things

were still good for us.

Somehow after Kennedy was assassinated work began to fall off. It was in

this year that things became really rough on us and we had just moved into a

bigger home. We had a mortgage and when he started not to get work,

I began to worry about not just Christmas, but about feeding our family.

He was digging ditches on the side to help take up the slack, but the ground

was getting hard, and that was falling off too. In late September, I went to

where they were opening a new supermarket within walking distance of home.

I applied for a job as a cashier in the evenings so Bill could still do what ever

work came along and it did, just not at the rate it had been, and I was hired.

When I reported the first night to my new job, I was given a badge with the

name Elsie on it. I had been called by my middle name Virginia all my life.

I was going to say something about it but decided, what the heck, I was

Mommy or Honey at home, so what difference did it make what strangers

called me.

Elsie became me, and I became a cashier for just awhile as they learned of

my office experience and I was quickly promoted to the office and soon was an

assistant to the front end manager. I loved the job. I was about 37 then, I

believe, and as I am now, I was a very outgoing and talkative person. Anything

good about me people knew, and if there was anything troubling me, they knew

that too.

With the $23.00 a week I was bringing home each week, and don't forget this

was early in the sixties, inflation hadn't gone wild yet, we were doing quite well.

It was coming close to Christmas and they sold toys in that supermarket,

much as they do today, they were up on top shelves, and were reasonably

priced, and as an employee, I was allowed to pick out toys for my kids and

put them on a lay a way and pay something each week on them so it

would be easy to get them out on the payday before Christmas.

There was a doll Tracey wanted so bad, one that took a bottle and wet its

diapers, I can't remember the name of it, Betsy Wetsy sounds familiar but

that may have come later, I don't know. I had one of those on layaway and

what the boys wanted too, and they were almost paid for.

Christmas happened to fall on a Friday that year, payday, and the stores

were not opened. The week before I began to ask when would we get paid.

The store manager thought we might get the checks on Thursday or if

not on Saturday. Well, I became fearful my kids were not going to have

their Christmas that year, at least until the day after. I had a couple of

friends there, and told them about it of course, my mouth runneth over,

and I also was friends with the store manager, as I was working in the

office most of the time. He told me not to worry, but that was like telling

the rivers to flow backwards.

I wasn't on the schedule to work on that Thursday, and the checks usually

came in around one o'clock in the afternoon, I made myself wait until

two o'clock as I didn't want to appear too anxious. They hadn't arrived.

They told me to check back in about five o'clock, something had gone wrong

with payroll but they were working on it as fast as they could.

I called before I went at 5 and they told me to come down the checks were

in. I went in with such a smile on my face. The manager cashed my check for

me himself, and told me he would get my things from lay a way and I gave

him the tickets and he told me to meet him at the back of the store, and

he would put them in my wagon for me when I came there. So, I merrily

went about picking up hamburger to make meatloaf for Christmas dinner,

and all the other stuff I needed for the next week to eat, I didn't mind that

I wouldn't have a turkey, as long as I had those toys for our kids.

When I finished picking up the things I needed I went to the back of the store

and the manager was there with his assistant , and they had my toys in a

wagon all set to go and I went to take it, and they said wait, here, this is

your's too. They had filled up two more carts with some smaller toys

for the kids, and some socks and mittens and hats, and then another wagon

with a turkey and all the trimmings, and pumpkin pies, and ice cream, all

the stuff I would have bought years before when things were better.

I said but I don't have enough money, and they said to me, just wheel

everything out the door, it has all been paid for and I said but I can pay

for my things and they said everyone in the store had contributed to our

Christmas that year. I couldn't help it, I cried like a baby.

It seemed like the heavens had opened up with miracles for us. We had the

most perfect Christmas of any year ever, because some people loved us

enough to do that for us. They wouldn't let me pay for the stuff I wanted

to buy either, I had my paycheck in hand.

You know, life turned around for us that night. Bill's work picked up, our kids

never knew about any of it, because they still believed in Santa, and there

was one that night. We had that little extra money to give us a little lift,

and I felt like I was walking on air. I had found out what real friends are

like, and that there are caring compassionate people in the world that don't

have to know you very well to do something wonderful to help you when

you are down and out.

I feel I was blessed that night, and I have been blessed for all of my life

before and since then. If there is anyone in need that I can

help, I do it, it always comes back to you two fold. Perhaps you have

to have been on the receiving end to believe it, but since I have, I know

it to be true.   I hope anyone reading this, and those that don't, have

wonderful Holidays whatever one you celebrate, there is a Santa Claus and

a God.