• Home
•  | 
• Login/Register
•  | 
• Help

Mama's Christmas Surprise

It was the winter of 1938, and Cullman County, Alabama like the rest of the nation, was still suffering the Great Depression. I was eleven years old, in the sixth grade at West Point School. Miss Lois King was my teacher, and before we got out a week for the Christmas holidays, every class had a draw-names-and-exchange-gifts party. Miss King had let us make pomanders, with oranges stuck all over with cloves, and a ribbon attached to the top. She, of course, furnished all the materials for the project, but the class had chipped in to furnish cookies and juice for refreshments, and to buy Miss King a gift: a pair of gloves. Whoever got my name got me a notebook: a very practical gift, and since we were limited to fifty cents on the amount we could spend, it really was a very acceptable gift. Maybe my classmate knew my penchant for scribbling verse. I had written a poem about the first Christmas, which Mama was very proud of and brought out that Sunday afternoon, to read to relatives, but Grandma said I didn't write it, that she' d read it in a magazine. That hurt my feelings.

Johnny was nine, and a fourth grader. One chilly day just before Christmas we belatedly thought about buying Christmas gifts, at least for Mama and Papa, and maybe Jo, since she was the baby. There was just one serious catch: we had no money. Mama said it was hard enough getting us to do our regular chores, she couldn't pay us for any other work, but she'd see about letting us take some eggs to sell. Then Papa said if we wanted to pick "scattered cotton" we could have the money it brought. We grabbed our pick sacks and headed for the whitest spot we could: find in the picked-over field.

Unaccompanied by adults it was not our habit to attack any field job with vigor, but the cold wind hurried us along, and as we picked we discussed the possibilities for our purchases. Before too long we decided on a game for Jo, who was pretty sharp for a six year old, and could beat me at checkers and dominoes, but not Johnny. Parcheesi it would be. Of course the fact that the two of us wanted it had nothing to do with it. Johnny said Papa needed a new knife, but neither of us knew how much that would cost. We decided to go together on it. For Mama we couldn't agree on anything, so we finally decided to take the money remaining and each buy her something. The sun, shining through high clouds when we started, was no longer visible and the high Sirius clouds had been replaced by thicker, softer clouds we called 'snow clouds'. Sure enough, a few tiny flakes blew in our faces as we worked.

After a couple of hours our hands were numb, our faces icy, and our teeth chattered when we tried to talk.

"Do you think we have enough?", Johnny asked.

"Not enough, but I think it'll have to do. I'm freezing." When I said that, Johnny was already on his way to the house. True to her word Mama let us have a dozen eggs to sell, and we lit out for Jordan's store and gin, to market our wares.
The return was not great, but we determined to shop wisely and make it do. The next day Papa took us to town, and we headed for Yost 5 & 10 .We pushed our way through a bustling crowd made bigger by all the layers of clothing we all wore. The store was warm, and musty smells of people in close quarters mingled with the more pleasant Christmas smells.

. Evelyn was working at the first counter as we went in, but after a brief greeting she sent us on our way.

"1 can't stop to talk. Don't y'all break anything. I have to wait on customers", she said, uncharacteristically businesslike for Evelyn. Johnny picked up a bottle of Evening in Paris and sniffed it. "I may get this for Mama", but he put it back, and we separated after finding the game for Jo, each to pursue our own interests.

I moved through the store slowly, looking at every item, picking things up, being told, "Don't touch, " more than once, and finally worked my way to the basement. There I found the counter that sold Fostoria ware, and I thought how much Mama would love a beautiful vase. As I looked I could see a bouquet of Mama's beautiful roses arranged in it, and carefully placed on the library table in the hall. Or maybe a cream and sugar set- in Fostoria that would be lovely. But I looked at the price of each item. They were too expensive. I only had fifty cents, and nothing here was in that price range. Frustrated, and sad, I almost turned from the counter, but wait -there was something very small. I really didn't know what it was, but it was just the right size to put a few violets in, or maybe pansies, and Mama could put it beside her bed, or maybe on the sewing machine, while she worked. I picked it up and looked at the price: fifty cents!

I had my few packages in tow, and went to find Johnny. He was carrying the biggest sack I ever saw, A Christmasy sack, with YOST 5&10 on the side.

"What did you get for Mama?" I asked.

"I'm not telling. You'll have to wait 'til tomorrow when Mama opens it", and all the way home, no matter how much I begged, threatened and pleaded, Johnny would not tell what was in the big bag.

Everyone else in the family tried to get Johnny to say what was in the bag, but he kept shaking his head. He got a crayon and wrote MAMA on the bag before we went to bed.
The next morning, an excited crowd gathered in the living room, with a warm fire blazing, and even with only one or two gifts each, with ten kids and Mama and Papa, there was a load of gifts under the tree.

Mama insisted on opening her gifts last. She picked up mine and carefully opened it. Everyone oohed and ahhed, and Billie said; "Now that was nice. Even with a little bit of money you picked out that nice little tooth pick holder". I just smiled, not letting on that I didn't know what it was,(but the price was right.)

We all turned our attention as Mama carefully opened the huge bag from Johnny. She clapped her hands and said, "Just what I always wanted -POPCORN!". Everyone laughed and looked at him, while Johnny sheepishly grinned. Everyone knew who the popcorn lover of the family was!

You must be logged in to post a comment regarding this story.