The $5 Christmas

Only a $5 bill and it was Christmas Eve ..., most stores were closed but John took me into the little town of Sandy Springs where a TG&Y; was closing down. For some reason (they were desparate?) they were still open after dark that night in 1985.

It was a time of economic recession/depression in Oklahoma, with the oil embargo forcing U.S. companies to lower their oil production. Tulsa, an oil dependent economy, was a gloomy place for men out of work, including my husband.

He had just graduated from his cement mason's program, which removed him from practically guaranteed work in the apprentice ranks (at lower pay, but hey, it was work). Now he was at the bottom rung of the seniority based system of masons. As the new guy, he was chosen last for construction, which had come to a screeching halt.

Anyway, enough economics. We had our first son, Jesse, who was 9 months old. What could I do for a baby and my husband with $5?

Walking through the store (John kept Jesse warm in the truck so I could shop in secret), I quickly saw that toys were too much.

I quickly found a small Raggedy Andy book -- I loved Raggedy Andy since I was a toddler. It was like 69 cents. OK, 69 cents, I mumbled, determined not to be embarrassed at the cash register by having to put something back.

I wandered into the sporting goods aisle. There I found a collapsible drinking cup and some plastic worms. All right, I was on a roll.

A candy cane, a knit watch cap for John . . . I needed one more inexpensive thing. Something to play with, something safe for a baby. No fishing hooks, knives . . .

I finally hit the pet aisle and found a plastic squeaky duck -- the perfect thing for baths!

I think I had a penny or two left, but when I left the store I was triumphant. I was determined never to forget this experience, where almost nothing stretched into everything I needed.

John remembers that he found a Christmas tree lot closing down around midnight and the man gave him a nice fresh tree. We had a great time watching Jesse play with the plastic cup, as he quickly figured out how to put it up and collapse it again. It was a forerunner of the Legos, electronic wires and batteries, commercial lighting, scoreboards and BMWs and computers he would play with until he mastered them.

No matter how much more lavish future Christmases might seem in in comparison, I'd never forget my $5 Christmas miracle.

And Jesse seems to have survived, although his tastes have changed!