CHRISTMAS EVE 2008

The following is a true account of a Christmas Eve many, many, years ago. "Dar" in this story was my Maternal Grandpa, and was one of the loves of my life. We were always blessed whenever Grandpa Dar was willing to share with us any of the colorful and sometimes sad stories from his life... and we are lucky to have a written account of this particular story thanks to his son Gary (and my uncle).

MERRY CHRISTMAS BOBBY

It was Christmas Eve 1931. The cold winter wind blew the falling snow into Dar's face as he walked along 31st street toward town. A passing car had cut two tracks in the snow that stretched before him like two ribbons under the street lights. He tried to walk in one of the car tracks so his bootless feet would not get so wet. Dar was eleven years old, but he felt much older. Being a child during the depression years was hard. Instead of playing baseball or cowboys and Indians, Dar was trying to earn extra money to help his family.

He felt very cold as he walked along the street. The lights in the houses were dimmed to conserve on energy. The streets were nearly deserted, as most of the residents of Ogden were home with their families. Suddenly, a feeling of warmth ran through his body as he turned the corner onto Washington Boulevard. The street was lined with shops brightly lit with Christmas lights. This season was Dar's favorite time of year. Christmas always filled him with feelings of love and giving. He did not worry too much about receiving gifts because his family was poor. There was not extra money for gifts.

Dar peered into the shop windows as he passed by them.. He thought about the 79 cents he had in his pocket. He had worked very hard to earn this extra money. Dar gathered firewood and tied it into bundles. He sold the wood to his neighbors for extra money. He also sold magazines on the street corners to help his family get through the hard times. This money in his pocket represented his savings over the last year. It was getting late, and Dar had a cold three-mile walk back to his home. He needed to find a toy shop that had what he was looking for. As he approached the shop, his heart raced with anticipation. There in the brightly lit window was what he wanted more than anything else in the world. A shiny new red truck! He gave the shopkeeper the money for the truck and turned to leave the shop. He had hoped for a penny in change, so he could buy a candy cane to eat on his way home. "This is going to be the best Christmas ever," thought Dar as he tucked the new truck under his arm and went out into the night. Three miles to town and three miles back home is a long walk for an eleven year old boy./ Especially on a cold, snowy, Christmas Eve. His feet hardly seemed to touch the ground as he walked the distance back to his home. The joy the new red truck would bring on Christmas morning made even his wet, frozen, feet feel warm.

The reason Dar felt so good as he walked along that Christmas Eve was because he was filled with the true Spirit of Christmas. The shiny new red truck he carried so carefully under his arm was not for him. He had bought it for his little cousin Bobby who lived down the street. Dar knew that Bobby would have nothing under the tree Christmas morning except the new red truck. The thought of the excitement and happiness in his cousin's eyes on Christmas morning gave Dar feelings of joy, love, and giving that have never left him.

Dar was cold and tired as he walked up the sidewalk to his cousin's house. The surprise in his uncle's face turned to deep gratitude and respect when Dar handed him the shiny red truck. "This is for Bobby," he said, and turned to leave. "Merry Christmas Dar," said his uncle in a huskier than usual voice. Dar turned to go home. He knew he would have nothing waiting for him under the Christmas tree the next morning, but he knew he had received something much more valuable himself that night. Dar stopped outside his home and looked up into the Christmas Eve sky. As he turned to go inside, there seemed to be one star which shone brighter than the rest.

"Merry Christmas Bobby," he said... and closed the door.