The Sixty-Nine Cent Christmas

One Christmas I’ll never forget happened many years ago in Southern Idaho. Early in my career as a religious educator I found myself teaching at a small high school near Blackfoot. We had three young sons at the time, which made it hard to pack everything needed to travel for the holidays. Money was tight and it was looking like a meager Christmas.

As a dad, I really wanted to make this first Christmas at our own home a special one. The new technology that year was the VHS player. I thought it would be great to record shows off the TV and play videos for the kids. As new technology arrives it usually comes at a cost, at least until competition helps drive prices down.

So it was on a lark that one day I stopped by a local TV and electronics store hoping beyond hope that something might fit into my price range. It didn’t take long to realize how far off the prices really were. I searched for damaged or scratch and dent VCRs, but didn’t find anything—so much for following a whim and hoping for some good luck.

A bit discouraged I headed for the door when something caught my eye. On the wall near the door a homemade sign announced: “Christmas Fun only $.69.” Below the sign hung a long red plastic sheet. It had two rectangle holes cut near the top of the sheet. I stopped in my tracks and wondered what it was. I asked an employee about it. “It’s a sleigh, you know, for the snow,” I was told. Now, that sounded cool… especially to a guy raised in Southern Nevada.

I thrust my hands into my pocket and determined that this was something I actually could afford. I slapped coins down on the counter and walked out with my Christmas surprise. As I drove home, I found myself hoping it worked and that it would be something the boys would enjoy. It didn’t look like much and so I worried into the night how the family might receive it. It didn’t take long to find out.

On Christmas day, of the few presents opened, the one that provided the most fun was a red plastic sheet that cost $.69. We dashed to the Seminary building that conveniently sat on a hill. All day long we made runs down the hill only taking breaks for hot chocolate. We threw snowballs and sleighed and laughed all day long. Who would have thought that something so simple would provide so much joy? What a Christmas!

So this Christmas, if you find yourself short on cash, remember that the best gifts aren’t necessarily the most expensive ones. Try simplifying your Christmas by giving simple gifts. Most of us would rather enjoy family and time together than things anyway. So, from this basic guy, I wish you a very merry, but basic Christmas.