It was 1980, the year after my ex left me and the 3 kids, I had to get rid of our house cause I could not keep up the repairs .. or the payments. We had moved to Pa. where I had a scholarship from our church, to go to Bible college. We lived in the projects cause that was what we could afford at the time.. the girls were 5 8 and 14.
I had money saved up for a few gifts for each of them but nothing extra, and we were going to go back home to my parents for 2weeks of holiday fun.. so we did not put up our own tree, I was at school that day when the kids decided they still wanted to put up our own decorations. so when I got home we went out into the little woods next to the projects and found a big branch ( not a pine branch but and old no bark scraggly piece of wood) and we stuck it into a coffee can and added stones to hold it straight and we put the decorations on it..
Well as a surprise for Christmas, I had planned on getting our tv repaired it had not worked for 5 months and that was going to be part of the kids Christmas was getting tv back. Well the repairman came the next day after we did our tree...
and the kids were still fussing with it hanging decorations making paper snowflakes to put on it etc..
The repair man came in to fix the tv I know he saw the kids doing the tree... well he only charged me 20 bucks to fix the tv.. ( I know it was more than that really)and he was being kind and I can only imagine how when he went home that night to HIS family how he told his kids how lucky they were cause he was in a house that day where they only had a stick for their Christmas tree.
A few days later we drove back to Ohio and had a real Christmas with the family we didnt have that many gifts but it was a good Christmas
But I will never forget that tree.. it was a pitiful.. little thing.