My Most
Memorable
Christmas
(True
story
of
my
childhood
Christmas)
My
most
memorable
Christmas
is
not
one
of
good
memories,
but
of
regret.
One
of
those
things
we
do
that
we
wish
all
our
lives
we
can
undo.
Wishing
everyday,
from
that
year,
that
day,
for
many
years,
that
I
could
undo.
What
every
child
does,
or
wants
to
do
every
year
at
Christmas
time.
My
Mother
always
loved
to
say,
be
sure
your
sins
will
find
you
out.
Well
they
sure
found
me
out!
I do
still
wish I
could
change
what I
did, but
one
thing
for
sure, it
taught
me a
valuable
lesson.
I was
grown
and had
children
of my
own,
before I
shared
my
secret
with
Mother.
Like
every
child 11
years
old, I
wanted
so bad
to know
what Mom
and Dad
were
getting
me for
Christmas.
We did
not
have
much
money,
but
Mother
always
tried to
make us
happy in
what we
could
afford.
The one
thing I
wanted
most at
the
time,
was a
watch.
Everyone
in my
6th
grade
class
had a
watch.
But I
knew
that I
probably
wouldn't
get one,
because
they
were
quite
expensive
at the
time.
After
returning
from
shopping
one
Saturday,
Mother
just
seemed
more
pleased
with
herself
than
usual.
Being
one who
analyzes
everything
and
everyone,
I just
knew
then
that the
gifts
she
picked
up that
day were
sure to
please
us when
we
opened
them.
I
remember
looking
all over
the
house
when
Mother
went to
work,
and my
older
sister
was left
in
charge.
Where
would
she hide
the
gifts
where no
one
would be
able to
find
them?
Well the
one
place
for sure
we
couldn't
find
them
would be
on top
of the
wardrobe
in Mom
and
Dad's
room. It
was so
big, and
so tall.
No way
could we
get up
there
and find
them. At
least I
am sure
that is
what she
thought.
Oh but I
had a
way. I
thought,
how can
I get up
there
and see
if those
gifts
were up
there.
Ahhh, I
could
pile
something
on a
chair
and
climb on
top of
it! I
was a
good
climber.
Once I
get up
close
enough,
I could
pull
myself
up. Well
sure
enough,
there
they
were!
And I
was so
delighted
to see
that
there
was
indeed a
watch up
there! I
held the
box
tightly
so I
could
climb
down.
Once I
got my
treasured
watch
down
safely,
I opened
the case
and took
out the
watch.
What a
beauty!
A Timex
with a
really
nice
leather
band.
Oh, how
pretty
it was!
There
was only
one
problem.
It
wasn't
wound
up. I
just had
to see
that
second
hand
twirl
around.
I wanted
to hear
that tick, tick,
tick. So
I found
the stem
and
wound
it, and
wound
it. Then
as I was
winding
it for
the last
round, I
felt it
snap.
Oh no!
It just
can't
be! My
heart
sank. I
felt
that hot
flush
come
across
my face.
That
just
can't
happen!
Not to
this
beautiful
watch I
waited
so long
for and
climbed
so
high
to
get!
(Back
then
they
didn't
have
watches
with
batteries,
they had
watches
with
stems
that
really
had to
be wound
every
day. If
you
didn't
wind
them,
they
would
stop
ticking
after a
day or
so.)
Oh my
heart
was just
as
broken
as that
stem.
How do I
fix this
mess I
got
myself
into
now? So
with a
broken
heart,
and a
broken
watch, I
climbed
back up,
and put
the
watch
back
exactly
as I had
found
it.
With
Christmas
2 weeks
away, I
had many
days and
nights
to feel
the pain
of my
deed.
Knowing
that
Christmas
morning,
I was
going to
open up
the box
that
held my
broken
watch.
How
could I
explain
that
one?
Well I
just
decided
I
wouldn't
explain
it at
all. I
would
just
open the
gift and
pretend
I am
excited,
and Mama
would
just
have to
return
it and
tell
them
that it
was
broken.
Then I
could
have
that
beautiful
Timex
watch I
always
wanted.
That's
exactly
what I
did. And
just as
I
planned
it, when
I tried
to wind
that
watch
and told
Mama it
was
broken,
she
assured
me that
as soon
as the
stores
opened
the next
day, we
would
get
another
one.
Whew, I
got out
of that
one!
All's
well
that
ends
well
huh? The
only
problem
was, it
didn't
end so
well for
me. Oh
we went
to the
store to
get
another
one
alright.
It was a
snowy,
bitter
cold day
outside.
But you
know
Mama,
she had
to try
to make
me
happy.
So we
bundle
up, and
got out
in the
old
Chevy
and head
into
town. We
pulled
up to
the drug
store
where
Mama
bought
my
watch,
and of
course
Mama
expected
me to
come in
with
her.
Well I
couldn't
do that.
For
surely,
if I
went in,
they
would
figure
out that
I tried
that
watch on
and
broke
it. So I
just
told
Mama to
go ahead
and go
in, I
wanted
to wait
in the
car and
watch
the
snow.
I waited
out in
the cold
car,
watching
the snow
fall. I
waited
for what
seemed
an
eternity
for Mama
to
return.
I
imagined
them in
there
telling
Mama
that
they
weren't
going to
replace
that
watch,
because
it was
not
broke
when she
got it,
that the
kid had
to be
the one
that
broke
it!
Finally
she came
out of
the
store
carrying
a bag.
Oh yes,
now
everything
was
going to
be fine.
New
watch,
no
problem.
My
secret
was
safe.
Well my
secret
was safe
alright,
but when
Mama
opened
the bag
and took
out the
watch,
it was
the most
horrible
moment
in my
life!
Here
again, I
feel my
face
flush
and my
heart
drops to
the pit
of my
stomach.
I'm not
feeling
so good
right
now.
What she
pulled
out of
that bag
was a
Cinderella
watch.
Now I am
11 years
old, and
in the
6th
grade!
Back
then, if
you wore
a
Cinderella
watch
past 4th
grade,
you were
the
laughing
stock of
the
school!
Well
Mama
explained
that
they
didn't
have
another
one like
the one
she
bought
me, so
she
picked
me out a
really
nice
one. She
liked
this one
much
better
anyway.
Oh
right,
real
nice in
her
eyes!
Easy for
her to
say! She
is not
the one
that
would be
made fun
of! But
I
couldn't
hurt my
Mama, so
I just
smiled
and
pretended
like I
really
liked
it. I
really
did like
the
Cinderella
figurine
that
came
with it
though.
January
third
came
entirely
too soon
that
year.
Here I
was with
a
Cinderella
watch
that my
Mama
expected
me to
wear to
school.
I was
not a
happy
camper.
I just
decided
I wasn't
gonna'
wear
that
watch to
school,
I would
just
wear it
when
Mama was
around.
Then
came the
dredged
time to
stand up
in class
and tell
what we
got for
Christmas,
I was
just not
real
happy to
stand up
share my
treasure.
So I
just
said I
got a
watch
and sat
down.
Well of
course
then the
kids
wanted
to know
where my
watch
was. By
not
wearing
the
watch, I
really
looked
less
than
truthful
to my
class
mates.
My
little
sister
who was
4 years
younger
than me,
just
loved
that
watch.
She
thought
it was
just the
most
beautiful
watch
she ever
seen!
Mother
thought
she was
too
young
for a
watch.
But I of
course,
thought
she was
just
right.
And that
Cinderella
watch
was a
perfect
match
for her.
So
letting
Mother
know
that I
just
loved my
little
sister
and
wanted
her to
have my
watch
because
it was
so
special
to her.
She was
just so
excited!
And I
was
excited
for her!
All her
little
friends
thought
it was
just so
cool
that she
had a
watch.
That was
just a
perfect
solution
to my
embarrassing
problem.
No
longer
did I
have to
worry
that my
friends
and
classmates
would
see me
wearing
that
watch.
Whew!
Then the
day came
that
changed
my whole
thinking
about
that
watch.
We were
at the
laundry
mat,
Mama,
Sis and
I. My
little
Sis went
to the
restroom
and when
she came
back
out, she
wasn't
wearing
the
watch.
When I
noticed
it was
not on
her
wrist, I
ask
where it
was. Her
mouth
dropped
open and
she ran
back to
the
restroom
where
she had
taken it
off to
wash her
hands.
Gone in
a flash
was the
watch I
once so
despised.
It all
of a
sudden
became a
treasure.
Never to
be seen
again.
Someone
obviously
thought
it a
lovely
thing to
have,
because
everyone
we ask,
said
they had
not seen
it.
How
could
someone
just
take a
little
kids
watch
like
that?
They had
to know
it
belonged
to us.
Don't
they
know how
special
it was
to my
baby
Sis?
They had
to have
seen her
come out
of the
restroom.
And
after
all, we
ask
everyone
in the
laundry
mat.
That
watch I
hated so
much,
now was
one I
desired
to find
or have
returned.
To this
day, I
still
think
about
that
little
watch,
and wish
I could
have it
again.
The
watch my
Mama
worked
so hard
to pay
for. The
watch
Mama
spent
her
whole
Saturday
morning
fighting
snow and
bitter
cold,
just to
make
sure I
had that
watch I
so
desperately
wanted
that
Christmas.
Cinderella
watch
anyone?
Author:
Sheryl
McMillan
©12/2004
