Christmas Unlike Any Other
This is my entry for Week 1 of December. The topic is unity. The town was a name that popped in my head, and is in no way affiliated with the other Oakdale's that actually do exist. The idea for this entry popped into my head b/c over the last three weeks we've had almost a thousand people laid off from their jobs.
A Christmas Unlike Any Other
It’s been a month to the day since Papa came home with the news that the factory was shuttin’ down. I didn’t really think much of it. Just thought he’d find another job in a matter days, maybe weeks. What I didn’t count on was six hundred other people in a town of two thousand lookin’ for work as well. The news said it was because there wasn’t enough money. Growin’ up in Oakdale, we never really paid attention to money. We had enough to get buy. Life was simple for us.
There isn’t a whole lot of work in our town to begin with. The peanut factory was the biggest employer. We have a Piggy Wiggly and some smaller stores and fast food places. The whole town has one traffic light and a handful of stop signs. It’s the kinda town where everybody knows everybody and half of us are kin. There aren’t many people who have cable tv or internet. There’s not much use for it here in farm country. Oakdale is a town straight out of an old book or somethin’.
I can see the hurt and worry in Papa and Mama’s eyes. They try to stay positive for us kids, but being sixteen, I can tell they’re just puttin’ on a show for us. I’m the only boy with five younger sisters. They’re all right. I try to take care of ‘em as best I can to help Mama out. I tried to get a job, but there’s none to be had. I heard Papa talkin’ to Mama the other night about the welfare money. It’s not enough to pay all the bills, and between the food stamp card payouts food gets tight. I haven’t had a full belly since Thanksgiving.
Christmas is tomorrow. It’s got me thinkin’ a lot about last year. It was the best Christmas ever. My little sister Emma woke everybody up before the sun had risen and we all opened presents by the fireplace. Mama spent all day cooking turkey and all the things that make a holiday meal worth rememberin’. When it got dark, all us kids piled into the back of Papa’s truck and looked at Christmas lights. Most of the town was out doin’ the same thing.
I’m not sure what this Christmas is going to be like. I made presents for everybody. Last month I was down by the river and found a tree that’d been hit by lightning, so I cut up the wood and widdled it into different toys for my sisters and figurines for my parents. It’s not much, but it’s all I could manage. The thing I worry about most is my sisters losing their faith in Christmas. They all still believe in Santa, and I want them to believe in the magic of Christmas for as long as they can. Kids deserve that sorta stuff. I know Mama and Papa will do everything they can do to make it special for them.
*
“Jackson, wake up! Wake up!” I was dreamin’ about something, but my five year old sister Emma’s voice made me forget what it was. “Santa came, Santa came!”
Blinking slowly, I sit up in the dark and rub my face, yawning.
“Merry Christmas to you too, squirt.” Talkin’ through a yawn, I reach out and ruffle the blonde curls. The sun isn’t up yet, but the sky is already turnin’ a light shade of blue.
“You hafta come see! We have more presents than last year!” I can’t help but smile at her enthusiasm, but I know better. There really aren’t more presents. That’s the good thing about being so little. Sometimes your memory is a bit skewed.
“All right, I’m comin’.” Pushing back the comforter, I stand up and stretch before Emma grabs my hand and practically drags me into the living room. The rest of the family is already awake, and the looks of astonishment on my sisters’ faces makes me smile. It wasn’t until then that I looked under our Christmas tree. I had to look again to make sure I was seein’ right. Sure enough, there were more presents under the tree than I could count.
“Ok, I got Jackson up. Now can we open presents?” I watch as Emma puts her hands on her hips with that authority five year old girls act like they have. Mama walks over and starts handing out the presents as I go sit by Papa on the hearth.
“All right, Pa, where’d all this come from?” Leaning over, I whisper in his ears to keep the girls from hearin’ me.
“Why Santa, of course.” Smiling, Papa reaches up and claps his hand on my shoulder. I meet his eyes with a stubborn gaze that I inherited from him. “The community has been collectin’ toys for the families that got laid off. Later this afternoon they’re havin’ a big dinner down at the community center.”
Nodding, I watch Mama as she walks over and hands me a rectangular box wrapped in gold paper. Her eyes meet mine and I can tell she’s been cryin’. I can’t stand to see my mama cry, even if she’s cryin’ cause she’s happy. Without hesitating a moment later, the wrapping paper comes tearin’ off as I open a new CD player. There are times where I feel like a kid, and openin’ presents is one of those.
*
I forget sometimes that we live in such a close knit community. It seems like the whole town showed up for Christmas dinner at the center, not just those of us who don’t have anything. I wonder why we never thought of doin’ this before, and not just cause people need it. Mama always taught me that Christmas was about bein’ with the people you love and spending time with em. I don’t think I’ll ever forget this Christmas. I almost feel sad that it took something as big as this to remind all of us what it’s like to look out for one another. As I watch everybody I realize how unified we really are. When somethin’ happens to one of us, it’s affects all of us.
I think a new tradition was born today. Our town became more than a community, we became a family.
A Christmas Unlike Any Other
It’s been a month to the day since Papa came home with the news that the factory was shuttin’ down. I didn’t really think much of it. Just thought he’d find another job in a matter days, maybe weeks. What I didn’t count on was six hundred other people in a town of two thousand lookin’ for work as well. The news said it was because there wasn’t enough money. Growin’ up in Oakdale, we never really paid attention to money. We had enough to get buy. Life was simple for us.
There isn’t a whole lot of work in our town to begin with. The peanut factory was the biggest employer. We have a Piggy Wiggly and some smaller stores and fast food places. The whole town has one traffic light and a handful of stop signs. It’s the kinda town where everybody knows everybody and half of us are kin. There aren’t many people who have cable tv or internet. There’s not much use for it here in farm country. Oakdale is a town straight out of an old book or somethin’.
I can see the hurt and worry in Papa and Mama’s eyes. They try to stay positive for us kids, but being sixteen, I can tell they’re just puttin’ on a show for us. I’m the only boy with five younger sisters. They’re all right. I try to take care of ‘em as best I can to help Mama out. I tried to get a job, but there’s none to be had. I heard Papa talkin’ to Mama the other night about the welfare money. It’s not enough to pay all the bills, and between the food stamp card payouts food gets tight. I haven’t had a full belly since Thanksgiving.
Christmas is tomorrow. It’s got me thinkin’ a lot about last year. It was the best Christmas ever. My little sister Emma woke everybody up before the sun had risen and we all opened presents by the fireplace. Mama spent all day cooking turkey and all the things that make a holiday meal worth rememberin’. When it got dark, all us kids piled into the back of Papa’s truck and looked at Christmas lights. Most of the town was out doin’ the same thing.
I’m not sure what this Christmas is going to be like. I made presents for everybody. Last month I was down by the river and found a tree that’d been hit by lightning, so I cut up the wood and widdled it into different toys for my sisters and figurines for my parents. It’s not much, but it’s all I could manage. The thing I worry about most is my sisters losing their faith in Christmas. They all still believe in Santa, and I want them to believe in the magic of Christmas for as long as they can. Kids deserve that sorta stuff. I know Mama and Papa will do everything they can do to make it special for them.
*
“Jackson, wake up! Wake up!” I was dreamin’ about something, but my five year old sister Emma’s voice made me forget what it was. “Santa came, Santa came!”
Blinking slowly, I sit up in the dark and rub my face, yawning.
“Merry Christmas to you too, squirt.” Talkin’ through a yawn, I reach out and ruffle the blonde curls. The sun isn’t up yet, but the sky is already turnin’ a light shade of blue.
“You hafta come see! We have more presents than last year!” I can’t help but smile at her enthusiasm, but I know better. There really aren’t more presents. That’s the good thing about being so little. Sometimes your memory is a bit skewed.
“All right, I’m comin’.” Pushing back the comforter, I stand up and stretch before Emma grabs my hand and practically drags me into the living room. The rest of the family is already awake, and the looks of astonishment on my sisters’ faces makes me smile. It wasn’t until then that I looked under our Christmas tree. I had to look again to make sure I was seein’ right. Sure enough, there were more presents under the tree than I could count.
“Ok, I got Jackson up. Now can we open presents?” I watch as Emma puts her hands on her hips with that authority five year old girls act like they have. Mama walks over and starts handing out the presents as I go sit by Papa on the hearth.
“All right, Pa, where’d all this come from?” Leaning over, I whisper in his ears to keep the girls from hearin’ me.
“Why Santa, of course.” Smiling, Papa reaches up and claps his hand on my shoulder. I meet his eyes with a stubborn gaze that I inherited from him. “The community has been collectin’ toys for the families that got laid off. Later this afternoon they’re havin’ a big dinner down at the community center.”
Nodding, I watch Mama as she walks over and hands me a rectangular box wrapped in gold paper. Her eyes meet mine and I can tell she’s been cryin’. I can’t stand to see my mama cry, even if she’s cryin’ cause she’s happy. Without hesitating a moment later, the wrapping paper comes tearin’ off as I open a new CD player. There are times where I feel like a kid, and openin’ presents is one of those.
*
I forget sometimes that we live in such a close knit community. It seems like the whole town showed up for Christmas dinner at the center, not just those of us who don’t have anything. I wonder why we never thought of doin’ this before, and not just cause people need it. Mama always taught me that Christmas was about bein’ with the people you love and spending time with em. I don’t think I’ll ever forget this Christmas. I almost feel sad that it took something as big as this to remind all of us what it’s like to look out for one another. As I watch everybody I realize how unified we really are. When somethin’ happens to one of us, it’s affects all of us.
I think a new tradition was born today. Our town became more than a community, we became a family.