Forty Dollar Christmas

By Donna Sundblad

Snow gently fell outside the window as my husband poured over our finances. "Well," he rubbed his eyes; "we have forty dollars for Christmas." He shrugged. "It's better than nothing."

I glanced out the window. "The kids need to know." Our children needed winter boots, and many other necessities. "I'll tell them." Our eleven and nine-year-old accepted the disappointment like battle weary troopers.

A couple of days later my youngest sister called. At seventeen, she desperately wanted to come home for Christmas. "I'll see what we can do," I promised. "Don't get your hopes up." I checked on airfare and punched numbers into the calculator. Forty dollars. I blinked at the readout.

I grabbed the phone. "If we each chip in forty dollars…," I explained to each sibling. After the last call, I slumped into my chair. "What about our share?" I pondered the consequences and laid out the scenario for the kids. My sister was coming home for Christmas.

Their unselfishness touched my heart, yet my spirit grieved. The following day I shared my mixed emotions with the nurse at the school where I worked. She encouraged me to be proud of them. Later that week I shared my concerns with a prayer group. Tears trickled and embarrassment burned across my cheeks. Everyone gathered around, thankful for the kids' unselfishness and asked God to bless them.

Two days later one of the teachers handed me a Christmas card. I opened it and stared at the hundred dollar bill inside. "This is an answer to prayer." My voice choked with emotion. "The kids will be so surprised."

By the time Christmas arrived I had three hundred and fifty dollars to spend, and groceries to make a fine dinner. My children received all they needed, plus a couple of things they wanted while I experienced a Christmas memory that is priceless.

Donna Sundblad is a freelance writer and U.S. Legacies contributor from Port Charlotte, Florida.

The Forty Dollar Christmas

By Donna Sundblad