When Mom said money was tight, I took her word for it. I even told Lucas that Christmas at Grandma’s might be more about family than presents this year.
He nodded, understanding in that gentle, too-mature-for-his-age way.
That made me proud and a little sad at the same time.
So Christmas morning came.
Snow on the driveway, the smell of cinnamon rolls. Everyone crammed into my parents’ living room with coffee mugs and pajama pants.
The tree looked smaller than usual, but still warm, twinkling with old ornaments and blinking lights. Melissa’s kids were already buzzing around the tree, shaking boxes and whispering.
Then came Mom’s little speech.
“All right, everyone. Like I said, we kept things small this year, but it’s about being together, right?”
Everyone nodded, and then it started.
My niece opened the first gift.
An iPad.
An actual iPad.
Melissa laughed and said, “Oh my gosh, Mom, you didn’t.”
