Today’s present was great. I asked my mom what was the best Christmas present she ever received? One of my sisters was with me and liked the question. As my mother took a minute or two to think about it, my sister added “Was it a doll or a toy?”

My mother stopped thinking and said, “We didn’t get toys for Christmas.”

“You didn’t have a doll?” my sister asked.

“Only ones I made,” mom said. She went on to explain how she would put straw in a pop bottle and pretend it was a doll. My sister couldn’t wrap her mind around this.

For the next hour my mom told us a story she had told several times before, but this time it stuck. My mom’s family was so poor that they never celebrated Christmas the way most folks did. There was no tree or presents or idea of Santa Claus delivering goodies to everyone.

I asked my uncle, “What did y’all think of Santa Claus?”

He said, “Nothing, he wasn’t coming to our house.”

They would have a good meal and they were blessed to have that.

As a kid growing up, we had good Christmases (loved when I got my bike) and a few not so good Christmases. But we always had one. I love how God takes one thing and makes another.  He has taken her from no celebration with her first family to over celebration with her own children.

We laughed as we talked about my mom’s childhood and how hard it was.  I am amazed that she can find laughter in it.

There are amazing stories in your own family. Take time this holiday to chat with your older family members and hear them.

There are beautiful simple lives waiting to be explored.