A Small Glimmer of Hope (Part 1)

I originally wanted to call this story "Toyland" but as it took shape I soon realized it was about more than that. It turns out that the theme of my story this year as the title suggests, is more about hope - and I will get around to that topic eventually. But before I do let me "set the stage" so to speak and bear with me if I seem to stray....I think by now that everyone knows the story of the Grinch and how he tried to stop Christmas from coming, right? Sure you do. And the Grinch has now become a beloved part of our Christmas tradition. But did you know that my mother beat him to it by about 30 years? Does that shock you? Well it should. After all, who would call their own mother a Grinch? Certainly not me. And please note that I am not saying that my mother was a Grinch, or that she actually did stop Christmas. Far from it! But she did have that power and she wasn’t afraid to use it if the situation called for it. Let me explain…

It must have been stressful raising five kids in the fifties when money was scarce – and it must have been five times as stressful as Christmas rolled around. But fortunately for Mom there was a way to deal with the imminent arrival of Christmas and make your children behave at the same time. And that was simply to STOP CHRISTMAS FROM COMING! And that is what Mom did – or almost did, every year. Of course Dad did not have any part in this yearly tradition - in fact I think he believed Mom could stop Christmas from coming too. Remember - mothers didn't usually earn the money and pay the bills in those days but they certainly made sure they were paid. And that is what Mom feared as Christmas approached - the bills that came after Christmas. Wouldn't it be nice to avoid thinking about all those bills for a little while longer AND keep the children quiet at the same time? But how? How? Now I think you see where I am going....
If there was a sibling squabble that got out of hand – no Christmas this year! A bad report card – no Christmas this year! Messy bedroom or chores not done – no Christmas this year. Not very creative – but certainly effective. I don’t know about my brothers and sisters but I was a gullible lad and I truly believed she could do it. Of course she could – mothers had a lot of power in those days. I seem to recall living under the threat of no Christmas every year from September until well into December depending, I suppose, on the family economic situation at the time. But surely Mom would relent and let Christmas take its natural course wouldn't she? It was best not to take any chances so why not clean your room and be on your best behavior and wait for that small glimmer of hope.... (to be continued)