Guest Blogger...Jayne...Christmas in Long Beach New York 1962

It was the Christmas Season in 1962. I was living in Long Beach, New York, a small city on the south shore of Long Island, about 25 miles east from New York City.

Our family was my Mom and Dad, my brother, my three sisters, and our dog 'Skippy' – named after Skippy peanut butter – (so original).

My Mom was in the hospital having back surgery. She was a nurse – when nurses didn't make much money – and she had broke her back, years before, helping a patient, and endured years of back pain and drug treatments to try to alleviate the pain – so many, that at times she couldn't function.

My Dad was a bus driver in the town – again at a time when bus drivers made very little money, and, unfortunately for us, my Dad had a drinking problem, so there was never enough money for anything.

In fact, we were poor.

Well, as I said, my Mom was in the hospital, my Dad wasn't home – he was working the night shift and wouldn't get home till 3 in the morning. It was a typical cold, damp, nasty December winter night.

(As I remember this: for all of us from the North – isn't it nice to be in Florida in the winter, even though we miss the cold and frozen noses – for about 10 seconds!)

We were, my brother and us four girls, sitting around in our drafty house, feeling very sorry for ourselves, watching cartoons on our small black and white TV. We had our tree and we'd already
been to McClellands '5 & 10 Cents' store and bought our usual gifts with our pennies and nickels – out of which we had to save enough for a slice of Gino's Pizza – our shopping treat.

So there we were, again, feeling sorry for ourselves because we really didn't have much, and knew we weren't going to get anything else. Then the door-bell rang. We yelled to each other: “Get the door!”

“No, You get it!”, “I'm too small!” Finally my older sister and myself went to the door and when we opened it, no one was there.

But what was there were boxes – boxes with nuts, and oranges, and apples, and bananas, canned goods, potatoes, carrots, candy canes, a big turkey, and a box of clothes, and coloring books and crayons. We couldn't believe it! We looked down the street but didn't see anyone – we thought the Christmas Elves had visited us – we were so happy and so excited!

And the GOLD DRESS with the belt that was mine – I loved it!! I'd never had a dress like that

and I felt like a princess.

And our voices and hearts said “Thanks!”

Jesus said: “Blessed are those who give unto the least of these...”

and happy are those, the least, like me at the time, who receive.

….....