I suppose everyone has a particular childhood Christmas that stands out more than any other. For me, it was the year that the Burlington factory closed down. Small child as I was, the events of that Christmas will live forever in my heart.
My father, who had been employed at Burlington, never, let us know that we were having financial difficulties. We knew only that our daddy, who usually worked long, difficult hours, was now home more than we had ever remembered.
Mama, a homemaker, now sought work in the local textile mills, but jobs were scarce. Therefore, daddy's unemployment check would now be our family's only source of income. I don't know for sure how they managed, but somehow they did. They made sure they scraped together enough money to buy each of us a Barbie doll. For the rest of our presents, they would rely on their talents, using waste materials they already had.
While dark, rough hands sawed, hammered and painted, flexible fingers fed dress after dress after dress into the sewing machine. Barbie-sized clothes for every imaginable occasion pushed forward from the old machine. Where we were while all of this was taking place, I have no idea. But somehow my parents found time to pour themselves into our gifts, and the excitement of Christmas was once again born for the entire family.
That Christmas Eve, the sun was just setting over the distant horizon when I heard the roar of an unexpected motor in the driveway. Looking outside, I could hardly believe my eyes. Aunt Charlene and Uncle Buck had driven all the way from Georgia to surprise us. Packed tightly in their car, as though no air was needed, sat my three cousins. I also couldn't help but notice many gifts for all of us, all neatly packaged and tied with beautiful bows. They had known that it would be a difficult Christmas, and they had come to help. The next morning we awoke to more gifts than I ever could have imagined — mountains of gifts among all that excitement and laughter.
注意：Daddy decided not to give us his gifts.
……
They were wooden boxes that can be used as a house to store a Barbie doll.
