Nancy Remembers Last Christmas
As Nancy drifted off her thoughts went back to last Christmas. They were struggling financially, but otherwise things were pretty normal. It was Robert’s last year of law school and they knew that next year everything would be better. He already had a position offered to him at the law firm where he worked part time as a clerk.
Abby hadn’t asked Nancy or Robert for anything. She made gifts for the family. The purple elephant Sharon kept with her in the hospital used to be Abby’s favorite fleece blanket. She drew the pattern herself, cut out the pieces and sewed them together and then stuffed it with old stockings. Sharon hadn’t slept a night without her purple elephant until those first days in the hospital.
Ben got a monkey Abby made from tube socks. He loved playing with it. She made a tie for Robert in Home-Economics class. Nancy was impressed with the scented candle Abby made for her. She even made an extra for Phyllis, her adopted grandmother.
The Christmas decorations had been sparse. Abby talked Robert into taking out his electric train that he got as a boy and they put it under the tree. In the afternoon while Nancy was cooking dinner she walked into the living room to check and see what the children were doing and found Ben and Sharon had placed some the simple hand carved nativity set in and on the cars of the train and turned it on. Like the co-conspirators they were they watched baby Jesus and two angels ride round and round the track in the cargo car, clapping their hands and jumping up and down with glee. They were so happy Nancy didn’t have the heart to scold them for their irreverence.
The following story was sent to me today via e-mail. It reminded me of a movie I saw years ago: 
