A Child's Christmas

“Look, Mom!” Grinning, Jason showed her an electronic tablet. “And this!” He held up a kid-size Patriots jacket that came with the cap.

“I see, sweetie!” She playfully tugged the cap down over his eyes. “Santa’s been good to you, huh?”

Santa had been good to her, too. The packages with her name on them had contained lovely things she would never have spent money on. She’d received a soft-as-a-cloud fleece bathrobe that would replace her well-worn terry-cloth one and would come in handy with the cool winter temperatures. She’d also received a beautiful lilac wool sweater. She assumed Laura must have thought of her and given their sponsor an accurate guess as to her size, since both the bathrobe and sweater were a perfect fit. The third package contained a fancy coffeemaker. She hadn’t had one since she was married. She’d made do with instant. The coffee machine had come with an ample supply of coffees, teas and hot chocolate that would last a long time.

They’d each also received a few small gifts from Paige’s parents.

Now there were only two packages left under the tree: Jason’s gift for Paige, and hers for him. Paige had kept them back on purpose. “Why don’t you open yours first?” she encouraged him.

She didn’t have to ask him twice. Jason pulled the rectangular box toward him and looked up at her. “It’s heavy.”

“Uh-huh.” She knew he was trying to figure out what it was. This was the only gift she’d bought herself. She’d purchased it nearly a month ago, when she got a special customer service bonus from her employer. She had wanted Jason’s present to be special, and she hoped he’d like it, especially after all the other gifts he’d received through the Foundation.

Jason was busy tearing the shiny wrapping paper. He ripped off a piece that revealed the writing on the carton. “Whooaa!” he exclaimed and quickly tore away the rest of the paper. He opened the cardboard container just as quickly and lifted out a wooden artist’s box. Unlatching the top, he examined the paints and pencils and brushes, taking them out and replacing each with great care. Closing the lid, he threw his arms around Paige’s neck.

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