4 th Grade Christmas......

  This is going to be a bit long, sorry.....When I was 9 years old, I was in Mrs. Thatcher's  4th grade class, at Jefferson Elementary School. Back then there were life Christmas trees allowed in school. We sure had a pretty one in our class. Mrs. Thatcher let us all help put the ornaments on it. Meaning she had to adjust them , as all kids wanted the one they hung to be seen from their seat. LOL.

  The  teacher asked if anyone wanted the tree at the end of the day, for it would be thrown out. Could I get my hand raised any higher?? Please God let her pick me, pick me Mrs. Thatcher, pick me .  Wow, I must have had mental telepathy...because she chose me. Thank you God.

 Mrs. Thatcher told me that Bobby Joe's father would pick the tree up out front and take it to my house for me. When she told me that, I thought, good grief  Bobby Joe's dad was a worse drunk that my own father. But he has a truck. Yippee.

 At the end of that long day and it did seem ever so long, the tree was put out front of the school. I waited with it. The children all cleared out so fast to get home to their families and the anticipation of Christmas so near. Even my own brothers and sister, although there was nothing exciting about our house. I pranced  around to keep warm, as back then girls had to wear dresses. It seemed to be getting later and colder. I thought, where are you Mr. George.?? Please hurry.  I crossed the street to look down both ways. I squatted down to make my coat cover my legs to be warmer. I started to cry. I wiped my nose on my sleeve. I could see it was getting later and gloomier. So I ran back to the tree and buried my face into it to smell that wonderful  fragrance of pine, which is Christmas to me.

 Then I ran home as fast as I could . My big brother started yelling at me, "why are you late , where have you been, you are in big trouble Susie." I was really crying by then. I cried all the way home, I wanted that tree so badly. I begged my brother to go back to school with me to get it. Our parents were not home, daddy was probably drinking up his pay check while mommy would be begging him to go with her for groceries . After all it was Friday, pay day. My brother and I went back to school . My big brother dragged that tree all the way to our house(apartment). He was cussing the whole time, boy normally I would be dying to tell on him, but at this moment I just let him cuss. He is saying,  I don't know why the blinking, blink, blink , you want the blinkity old tree sis, we don't have anything to hang on it. I just didn't care , it smelled good , the tree itself was pretty enough for me. We put it in the window leaning against the corner of that bay window, in that dreary apartment. My sister and I hung the green and red chains we made at school on it. we had 3 cards someone had sent our family , we put those on . Then my sister and I cut out some snow flakes from our school papers and hung them on the tree. It was the most beautiful tree ever...well it really was our first ever Christmas tree.
  When our parents got home, they liked our tree. We kids actually got presents that year from the Salvation Army. Even mom and dad got us each something.  This is my true story.
    Wishing all of you a Merry Christmas. XO