Christmas was near; times were hard
The grade school had a gift exchange
Telling her Ma she needed a dollar
Was going to make Janie feel strange
The little girl knew how poor they were
And wondered how she'd get that dollar
Knowing her Pa was getting laid off
Made her worries seem much smaller
Ma told Janie she'd do what she could
And Ma had never let her down
Next day, Janie earned eighty-five cents
By doing odd jobs around town
The girl felt proud that she could help out
Being the family's oldest daughter
With tear-filled eyes, she managed a smile
When Ma slipped her another quarter
There were no Dollar stores 'way back then
But you could get a nice gift for a buck
She looked and looked for the perfect thing
But little Janie wasn't having any luck
Noticing two classmates coming her way
She ducked into the alley and hid
Rummaging around, she found a nice box
With a store's name engraved on the lid
In the five and dime, she happened to see
A music box with a twirling ballerina
It cost ninety-nine cents and Janie knew
She had found a gift for her friend, Tina
She wrapped the box in aluminum foil
Added a ribbon for just a few pennies
It looked like it cost more than a dollar
In the box she had scrounged behind Ninni's
Janie ran home from school that day
To share her wonderful news with Ma
All the kids thought her gift was the best
As they gazed at Tina's music box with awe
Many Christmases have passed since then
Ma and Pa left this world long ago
What a wonderful example they set for us kids
She thinks as the tears softly flow
Kathleen McCoy Eldridge©
November 17, 2008
All Rights Reserved
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