As a working mom whose first two children (a boy and then a girl) were born 21 months apart, by the time “Child Number Three” came along—4 ¾ years after her sister—I didn’t always do things the traditional way. One example is how “Number Three” became a Santa’s Helper in what many of you might consider an unorthodox way!

During one Christmas season, with none of the children’s Christmas presents bought and Christmas Eve rapidly approaching, Number Three and I headed out on several different days to our Jefferson Mall where there were many stores with enticing Christmas gifts on the shelves. By now she was eight years old and soon learned how to become a savvy shopper.

So, when she was eight and the next year nine, Mom and Youngest Child perused items for sale while walking through the store aisles in the nearby mall. I had told her ahead of time that while I was on the look out for gifts for her siblings and other family members, she could shop for what she wanted for Christmas that year.

Of course, I told her how much she could spend. The first year her spending budget was $85. The second it was $100. She had a paper pad and a pencil in her pocket and diligently kept a running spending total. A board game. A sparkly barrette for her hair. A book of science fiction stories. Some fuzzy house slippers. An acrylic paint and brushes set with its own fold-out easel.

She was looking for presents for herself while I was picking up what I thought her siblings and other family members would like. Santa’s Helper’s helping ways didn’t end with the purchase of these toys. Later when we got home and the other kids weren’t around, I would get out seasonal wrapping paper, ribbons, bows, and Scotch tape. And she would wrap them all!

I hid the presents until her dad and I placed them under our live, fragrant Christmas tree while all three children were snug in their beds awaiting Christmas morning! And even though she had chosen and wrapped what was waiting for her, she viewed her presents with the same delight in her eyes as in theirs!

Thanks, Santa’s Helper. I couldn’t have done it without you!

A Delightful Santa’s Helper
Connie Carlisle Polley, 2023
ConnieCarlislePolley.com
NonnyDay.com

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Great holiday gifts from Nonny!