I can't truly say it was "Little House on the Prairie", but it was a white frame farm type house in the little city of Bell where my mother would wrap presents late into the night and bake brownies and cookies and make batches of chocolate fudge -many who said, " The best in all the world" to get ready for our Christmas Eve celebration.
On December 24 mom would do her job at the newspaper until 3 p.m. , then rush home to finish dressing the turkey, slice the ham, mash potatoes, candy yams. For it was to our modest home each Christmas Eve neighborhood friends, work friends, school friends and long time family friends would come for dinner and yuletide merriment. Everybody seemed to enjoy "Cooney's Open House" buffet.
Mother had everything prepared and arranged just right. Our flocked tree, standing in the corner of our living room was beautifully trimmed with lights all aglow; The baby Jesus laid nearby, snug in His crib, a quiet reminder for our celebration.
Thinking back, I marvel at how she did it - being a single mom, working full time and only a meagher income. My brother Walt and I helped where we could, but it was really mother who did all the planning and hard work; Her joyful spirit filled the house with Christmas warmth and Christmas cheer .
Ours was a small family - my mother, brother and me, and what mom did year after year was provide a Christmas Eve memory that still lingers on - a connection with others of sharing and caring in the season of Love.
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