On the 3rd Day of Christmas Past,
Question: What can we learn from a Christmas gift given to a Father during the Depression?
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“Yearlong gift dazzles a Dad”
“All night, fierce winds swept the ground of the crisp, white snow and had chipped at the frozen earth, eroding off precious particles of top soil. The driving winds caused ground blizzards that had piled snow in great grayish-brown-tipped drifts around the house. As the frigid winds subsided, the whole world seemed frozen in the quiet, crisp chill of the frosty dawn. Meager threads of smoke curled upward from guarded blazes of stoves desperately trying to heat the scantily equipped homes. The 1930s Depression was at its peak. It seemed that no one was spared from the bony clutches of this catastrophic experience.
We were no exception. The furnace in our home sat cold and muted. The 10-room, two-story house had been closed off except for three adjoining rooms. The bathroom, kitchen and dining room struggled for the warmth from the coal-burning stove in the kitchen.
A Christmas tree crowded the corner of the dining room. My older brothers had tied a rope from the hinge of the door leading to the front entry hall, then diagonally across the room to the hinge of the door leading to the kitchen. From this rope hung 10 limp, well-worn stockings, many of them filled from heel to toe with loving stitches.
Mother’s stocking hung at one end of the line, followed in succession, the oldest to the youngest, of each family member, ending with Father’s stocking.
I was 8 years old and had saved every penny since the past February in order to buy presents for my family.
My oldest brother, Brigham, had been working on a government highway project high in the Rocky Mountains of southern Alberta.
He had sent all of his earnings home to my father to help the family survive the stranglehold of financial depression.
Today, however, was Christmas morning, and the laughing excitement of eight children electrified the air as they lined up at the kitchen door awaiting Father’s signal to enter the magical Christmas room. Enchantment had swallowed up the harried struggles for survival of the past year.
“Open the door!”
This signal brought cheers of delight as eight eager children flew to their stockings. For a fleeting moment, I had a feeling of disappointment as the stockings appeared to look as limp and lifeless as they had been on Christmas Eve. However, on closer observation my disappointment turned to thrilling delight as I recognized some small bulges stretching the sides of the otherwise gaunt stockings.
A comb, a pair of socks, a toothbrush, a pair of shoelaces, some handkerchiefs, a few nuts and most of all the wonderful hard-tack candy with colored stripes and designs.
A feeling of love, excitement and joy filled the room.
From the corner of my eye, I noticed Father open a plain, wrapped, small gift. It was a notebook, the kind a man carries in his shirt pocket. As he fingered through the pages, his cheerful smile melted into thoughtful reflection. Tears began to dazzle his eyes, overflowing in little bursts of silver down the creases of his weary, worn cheeks. Quickly, he left the room.
Briefly, I wondered about this strange behavior on Christmas. My wonderment was soon distracted by the excitement of all the “ohs” and “ahs” and “thank yous” and laughter that punctuated this magic morning.
Soon, Father reappeared. His countenance was subdued and calm. There was a glow about him as if he had seen some heavenly vision. He walked slowly to his stocking, bowed his head for a moment, then slowly raised it. In a composed and gentle voice, he called out: “I would like to have everyone’s attention.”
This unusual request on a Christmas morning brought quick silence from eight children and Mother. All eyes were fixed on Father in the wonderment of expectation.
Slowly he raised his hand, which held a little well-worn book, and spoke. The sound of his voice rang with a mellow yet driving sincerity that seemed to infuse my very being.
“I have just been given the greatest Christmas gift that I have ever received.”
There was a short pause as he blinked away the mists that blurred his vision. Then he continued: “I want to tell you all about it. This is a gift from your brother Brigham. It is a little book with a notation written for each day of this year. In the front of the book is a note which says: ‘Dear Father, I had no money to buy gifts this year. This is all I have to give you. It is a record of a good deed which I have done for someone each day of the year.'”
Father then stopped speaking. A hush fell over the whole family. The impact from the message of this gift left us all in thoughtful, reverent silence. Then someone began to clap their hands. Soon everyone was clapping with the joy of having experienced such an inspirational moment.
Though many years have passed since that eventful Christmas morning, the impact of its message of service and love lingers on as a brilliant, guiding star.”
A perfect example of the true meaning of Christmas
Sweet story….
A large family is joyful during a depression era Christmas. The kids are happy receiving small essential items in their stocking..ie comb, toothbrush, socks. The most anticipated gift was a little bit of hard candy. The father receives the best gift; a little notebook. His oldest son had written in the notebook one kind deed he did each day for a year. Very sweet..
The father of the family received a most wonderful gift of a notebook that had recorded in it the service done daily by his eldest son. To have a child do such wonderful things is a treasure.
We can learn from the sweet gift this boy gave his father that the best gifts to be given are those from the heart, the ones that are thoughtful & service filled. The son served others every day all year round, which I’m sure greatly honored the father & made him proud, one of the greatest gifts his son could’ve given him!
Wow, this story is so inspiring. What a wonderful gift to his father and to our Savior as Brigham spread the love of the Savior all year. Great example for all of us. Thank you
So beautiful. This father and mother raise a very worthy son. His character development was the greatest gift his father ever received. The joy of children living right is beyond words.
Thank you for that story.
The greatest wish of a parent is that thier children learn and grow to love and serve others. To see that wish come to fruition is the greatest gift.
The greatest gift at Christmas and throughout the year is loving service to others. A notebook that recorded the daily acts service by his son deeply impacted the son’s loving father.
I teared up reading this story. The meagerness of this destitute family during the depression made me so grateful for the abundant life I live now. His son’s Christ-like service to others and the father’s reaction makes us realize that true joy is in giving service to others and is having children who have learned that lesson.
This father received what all parents would love to receive, the message that his son was living a life of service and good deeds. Nothing warms a parents’ heart more than to know that a child of theirs is doing well and loves the Lord.
The message to me is that gifts of service and love should be daily acts all year long. It was a treasured gift to this father, but would also be a gift to the Savior.
Christmas gifts from the heart are the best gifts. Looking for the chance to serve others everyday is how we become like Christ. This is how we keep Christ in Christmas.
Christmas is not just a once a year event. The true spirit of Christmas is focusing on Christ and serving as He would serve year round. Thank you for sharing this beautiful story.
The father received love something we may forget because we are only thinking of the necessity of material things.
Christmas presents come and go in a flurry of ripped paper and discarded bows. However, this present had taken a year of thoughtful care and determination. I would also be filled with joy if my kiddos gave me such a well thought out gift.
The best gift a child can give a parent is proof that he did service each day throughout the year. And that son not only have service to a lot of people throughout the year but also honored his father by giving him the record of it. Because he knew his father would be so proud of him. I hope we can all go throughout this year and look for ways to serve each other.
The gift from his son who had been sending home his earnings to help the family and thus couldn’t afford a gift, was the most precious gift a child could give, a life is service.
The gift from his son, who had been sending home his earnings to help the family and thus couldn’t afford a gift, was the most precious gift a child could give, a Christ-like life of service
The gift from his son, who had been sending home his earnings to help the family and thus couldn’t afford a gift, was the most precious gift a child could give, a Christ-like life of service.
Christmas doesn’t come from a store. True gifts are gifts of self.