The Most Memorable Christmas.
A young boy stood motionless in front of a department store's toy display on Christmas Eve, thinking that if he could get only one of these many wonderful toys, this year would be the best Christmas ever. After all, in his family the money was thin and the times were very hard, especially around this time of the year.
After standing there, gazing into wonderland for some time, the boy realized that there was a snow storm nearly upon him. He looked momentarily for his mother, spotted her nearby, and quickly joined her for their long walk home. .
Their walk had reached roughly three miles and the snow had begun to pile high upon the walkway; The boy's mother turned to him and spoke in a soft, quiet voice, "Son, I noticed that you were admiring those toys in the window." "Which of them would you like to have the most?" she asked.
The young boy responded as if he had just won the jackpot at his mother's Monday night bingo session, "The bicycle!" he exclaimed. "And the umbrella, so that you don't have to get this snow all over you".
His mother looked to him and smiled as if she were saying thank you.
The last couple of miles on their journey home passed away without another word being spoken, just the sound of the falling snow to accompany them. .
They soon arrived home and the mother made her way to the kitchen to cook a small meal for two. She allowed her young son to eat first, and she read him a brief story of Christmas, then tucked him into bed. She made her way back to the kitchen, which also doubled as the living room, ate her portion of supper, then blew out the candles that dimly lit her kitchen area. She made her way back to the coat-rack where she had put her old, worn jacket, placed it across her back, and rapidly began the five mile trip back to town. .
Upon her arrival back at the department store, she noticed that it was closed.