Every sock, every mitt. One sock in one package, its match in another. I made sure my kids had enough gifts to open on Christmas morning. I made a few gifts look like a mountain of them. I was just going crazy with ideas to make a bleak day turn into a bonanza. It was something that I had to do. Not just for my kids but for myself as well to make up for the feelings of inadequacy that I had had earlier that week. By God it worked. Oh yessiree Bob it did.

Much later I could have sworn that I had just dumped my body onto the pillows in my kids' room; soon they were shaking me and yelling at the top of their lungs that it was Christmas and they knew that Santa had been there. With a groan and a moan I rolled out of the room on my hands and knees and followed the whoops and yelps of cheer. When I saw their beaming faces, I was filled with a whole new life force that took away all of the tired feelings and refreshed me no end. Those kids ripped through all those packages like a hot knife through soft butter. Paper strewn everywhere and smiling faces caressed me at every turn. It was the happiest morning that I will ever encounter. This day just couldn't be made better. Or, so I thought.

My brilliance just followed me all over throughout the whole day. I was given a gift and I was determined to use the hell out of it. Suppertime was growing near and still there was no turkey in sight and there wasn't going to be one. I knew it and I accepted it gladly. I was just worried that my kids might have a hard time with it. So I figured that we were going to have an adventurous dinner and that we were going to pretend we were hillbillies having Christmas. What do hillbillies eat for supper? Hell if I knew, so I made up a story. I told my kids that hillbillies eat beans shaped into a turkey.