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The Best Christmas of My Childhood
And it didn’t involve a single toy or article of clothing
I don’t recall how old I was at the time, but we went to church every Sunday. I always sat with mom-mom. She kept hard candy in her purse to keep us kids settled during the sermon. I can remember times falling asleep on the pew with my head in her lap. I can still remember some of her favorite hymns.
One year at Christmastime the church decided to do a charity event of sorts. The adults collected cardboard boxes. Some of the adults spoke with local businesses. We kids collected wrapping paper, tape, and bows from our parents. We all sat around decorating the boxes with pretty paper and colorful bows. The grown-ups would fill each box with a turkey or a ham and stuff to make side dishes with.
Volunteers’ cars were loaded up with the boxes and the caravan began. All of us kids? We didn’t ride in the cars with the boxes. Oh no. There was something special lined up for us. We rode behind a tractor laden with hay. We were all bundled up in coats and hats and scarves and mittens. We sang Christmas carols as we rode through the countryside. Ever so often we’d pull up to the house of a local farming family. We’d all hustle out and assemble around their front door and sing out little hearts out. At each house, we got to take turns presenting the…
