The Christmas that Almost Wasn't: 5 Minute Freewrite Prompt: Special Occasion

A special occasion? Yeah, right. It was the Christmas that wasn't going to be all that.The special occasion wasn't going to happen. How could it? With 4 kids and one small income, paycheck to paycheck, there was no way they could do anything for gifts. They had maybe $15 to split between the whole family.

Two days before Christmas and she was an emotional mess. Her kids were so sweet, so excited and ready for Christmas. They saw gifts and heard all of the excitement from other kids at church. Everywhere they went, sweet old ladies asked what they wanted from Santa and what they wished for. They were well meaning, but every question tore at her mother's heart. She so badly wanted to do something for the kids this year, but realistically speaking, it just wasn't going to happen. She would bake homemade bread and cookies and hope the treats would be enough.

Suddenly, she had an idea. She called around and gathered up the free supplies. A refrigerator box, a box or two from an oven, a dishwasher. No one cared if she took their trash, they seemed to be thrilled about it. She counted the pennies she found in the couch cushions, gathered the dollars from her purse and visited the discount store to buy some white pain, some duct tape a few sets of washable markers.

She and her husband stayed up late after the kids had gone to bed and created a cardboard castle, complete with tunnels and rooms for each of the kids. It took up the entire living room and there was literally no room to walk around the new structure, but both she and her husband were thrilled.

With exhaustion lining their faces, they went to bed hoping for the best.

She was up, tossing and turning. Worrying that the kids would be disappointed. Who wanted other people's trash for a gift? She had hope, though, that they would love it...

The next morning came soon enough and she heard the kids rustling in their rooms.

As she heard them hit the top of the stairs, she bounded out of bed and grabbed the camera... the kids came downstairs and as they turned into the living room, their eyes popped with joy. The excitement on their faces was priceless.

With tears of happiness in her eyes, she handed out the pretty wrapped packages to each of them. Of course it was only a box pf markers for each, but the kids didn't notice. They only had eyes for the magical new world that their parents had created for them... and they were lost in a world of pure imagination.

PS Those kids played in that castle, coloring and decorating it with fabrics and markers for MONTHS until it collapsed from use. It was the best Christmas gift ever.

Prompt: a special occasion
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