Favorite Holiday Memory

[Princess]

Christmas has always been a big holiday in my family...i have one sister, Rachel she is 2 years younger than me. When christmas eve rolled around my sister and I would stay up as late as we could, until we heard our mom "santa" go to the living room to fill our christmas stockings. We would wait exactly 10 minutes until we knew she was back in bed and sleeping...and then we would sneak out there, get our stockings down and pick out 3 peices of candy each...and then back to bed. We STILL do this every year, even though im 27 now. Well one year my mom decided to pull one over on us, she went out there and just put a peice of coal in each stalking...and waited for us to sneak out and see our faces when we looked in and saw just coal...she popped out from around the corner laughing and gave us our real ones. Obviously that coal didnt deter us much :P

[Heavenleahangel]

About 5 years ago, I was bone-tired and in a laundromat washing comforters and curtains for company coming to visit. I didn't want to do it that evening, but I had no choice. I had put it off til the last minute-3 days before C-mas.
As I got my quarters loaded into the washers, I noticed what appeared to be a grandma splitting a happy meal between 2 little girls about 4 & 6. They inhaled the food, rumbling around the bag looking for a forgotten french fry. I could tell they were still hungry. I went to the McDonald's next door and "accidently" bought another happy meal and a couple of cookies. I conspiculously asked the lady if they could hve it and she said yes, smiling.
I struck up a conversation with that woman and learned the girl's mom was in prison, usually she washed the clothes at home in the tub and money was just too tight to buy each a meal.
I drove them the 3 blocks home and helped her take the baskets in. The grandma offered me a cup of coffee and while I don't drink coffee, I accepted a glass of water so I could learn more about the girls.
I told her I knew of a "Secret Santa" and if she would allow me, I wanted to tell him about the girls. At first she resisted and said she didn't accept things she couldn't repay. I, being the ever persistent femme, wouldn't take "no" for an answer. I met with her the next day and took the girls to the fire department to see Santa and have a picture made for their mom. She hadn't seen them in a year! They rambled on what they wanted and I was frantic trying to write it down!
I was in Wal-Mart that night then Toys-R-Us the next day looking for stuff for little girls. With my Explorer loaded, I went back to that ramshackle apartment and proceeded to fill her livingroom with toys, clothes and food! With tears in her eyes, Veronica-the grandma- hugged me and blessed me for making her girl's holiday special. I in turn, thanked HER for allowing me to remember what Christmas was all about and it was ME who was blessed. I gave her a disposable camera and showed her how to work it and the promise to return and have the film developed. I can still see the faces of G & M in those pictures. I stayed in contact with them until Veronica moved away 6 months later. It was the BEST Christmas I ever had-EVER!!!