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Show 6A The Summit County Bee Friday, December 24, 1993 A Christmas To by Bessie Russell The snow came early that year to the Kamas Valley. Great drifts stood as sentinels guarding the roads of those who may dare venture out and face the wintcry blasts. There was not much in the way of employment, timbering and driving to Park City to wok in the mines was what the lucky Remember lessons were completed she needed to talk to me. Generally speaking, my mother was a very happy, smiling person; however, this afternoon, there were worry lines on her face. Mother and I held a special closeness due to the fact that I was the baby of the family and there were many years difference in myself and in the ages of my brothers and sisters. They were all married and some had children about my age. Lessons completed, I went into the living room to see what mom wanted. She sat eat. me down by her rocking Christmas was getting chair on the stool and said, nearer every day and our "With Christmas so close family was no different than and your brother out of others in the valley, mothwork, we need to see if we ers worried about gifts and. can think of a nice gift that fathers worried about how Santa Claus could bring to little Wanda. Then she they would pay for them. This was the situation waited for a few minutes. I that my story takes place supposed that she wanted in. My older brothers were some suggestions from me. both very hard workers and I named all the things that I they were willing to try thought would be good for anything that they could to Santa Claus to bring to her. earn an honest living, but Then mom said, you don't right now there was no understand, I was thinking that maybe you had somesteady job. One afternoon, as I came thing that would make a home from school, mother nice present Again she greeted me and then told me waited for a few minutes for that as soon as school me to reply. I sat there with ones were doing. There were those who had farms and ranches throughout the valley and they could fare quite well as they were able to make ends meet and have food that they had raised to the old cuckoo clock on the wall ticking away as though the proverbial cat had my tongue. Finally, I said, whatever would I have that a little three year old girl would want? Mom looked at me and placed her hand on mine and said, what about your doll and doll buggy? Oh! Before I even knew that my mouth had opened, it had, and I said, "My doll buggy, oh mom, my wicker doll buggy." My wise old mother just said, think about it and got up and went to start supper. That night when I went to bed, I pulled the doll buggy over by the side of my bed and reached my hand out and touched the soft silk quilt, thinking of the good times I had playing with the buggy that I fell asleep. The next few days passed quickly and I thought about the buggy, but yet I didn't think about it. Saturday came and as usual mom and I cleaned the house for the weekend. I seemed to try and stay out of her way and I cleaned as fast as I could. We always did the hardest work first and the easiest last as my mother's health was never very good after my birth due to her age. When there was only the living room left, we worked together and I knew before she said anything that she was going to bring up that dam buggy. Sure enough as she was dusting and I was wiping out the windows, she said, "Well, honey what did you decide?" I scrubbed quilt that cuddled around my the windows even harder and doll. That quilt was my pride and joy. Mom had made it for me out of small pieces of silk that had been sewn on the old treadle machine to sheets of newspaper so it would be perfectly straight. When it was big enough to make the quilt, as they were very cold from the outside air, they were hard to da Suddenly I made my decision, just like that arid turned around and said, I want her to have it I will never forget the look on my mother's face, something the most wonderful person in the the newspaper was carefully pulled away and then it was world or an angel that she pressed and placed otto a was very proud of. I had to piece of outing flannel with speak and clear this up. listen mom I am not that batting inbetween and in quilted tiny stitches. It was with my hand on the like I was great I have had a hard time deciding what to do. I wanted to but I didn't want to, first yes and then no. She pulled me down on her lap and tilted my face up close to hers and said, "Never you mind the wrestle that you have had, you have made the right decision and you will never be sorry that you did." As Christmas drew closer, we sewed gifts for the family carefully picking out the materials from the old trunk upstairs. We cooked and made all the goodies that my mother was famous for. We decorated the Christmas tree, the windows, and the outside. Mother and I laughed a lot because of the special secret that we shared. Once I had made the decision, it was the funniest thing I never thought too much more about it One week before Christmas when I dashed in the house from school, mom had the buggy out in the kitchen, she was wiping it out inside and out She simply said, "We shouldn't get much water on this or we will wreck it completely." When we were finished, it looked just like brand new. Mom picked up the little silk quilt from the table where she had folded NOB and laid it and turned and this is for you, the little quilt stays with you. I took it and went into my bedroom so she couldn't see the tears. Next morning when I got up, the buggy was gone. Christmas dawned crisp and cold. We all bundled up as our custom was to visit each others houses to see what Santa had brought When we got to my brother's house, we hardly got in the door before Wanda came running over her head covered with Shirley Temple curls bouncing so fast that her ribbons were even jiggling. Guess what I got, guess what I got she was saying just as fast as she could talk. She took my hand and we went in the living room and there in front of the tree was the little wicker buggy. I hardly knew it and it sported a new quilt. The (toll had new clothes and was just beautiful. What did you name your baby I asked. "Blue Eyes", she said and the name just fit. She demonstrated how she could take her baby and the buggy around the house. She looked like a doll herself and eveiyone joined in the fun of her buggy. As we were getting ready to leave, my brother took my arm and led me into the big kitchen. He took my hand and placed a tiny box in it. "This is for you," he said. I opened the box and nestled inside in white tissue paper was a beautiful little gold bracelet. I had never seen anything so lovely. I took it out of the box and he placed it on my arm and fastened it.' Those precious memories belong to the Christmas I Remember Best. Those who know me, know that each Christmas will End me wearing a tiny gold bracelet, My Special Christmas N To wish you ( Echo a truly joyous Christmas. Cafe - Echo, Utah ! Breakfast - Lunch - Beverages & S 8 Greyhound Bus Stop Frank Cattelan 336-564- 2 Gift... |