~ THE WEEK BEFORE ~

The calendar reads “Wednesday, December 18, 1935.” One more week, then it’s Christmas!

I’m jingling all over. Everything’s jingling—inside stores, outside stores. Women wear tiny bells on their coats. Kids put tinkling bells on their caps. Jingle bell music plays on the radio. We bring out the old Christmas records, playing them over and over on the windup talking machine. The needles are getting worn, and we can’t afford new ones, but the songs still sound good, even if they’re a bit scratchy.

In school, we’re practicing for the Christmas program. I’m going to be an angel at Bethlehem, which is better than being a shepherd. But right now, appearing in a school play is not top on my list, because there’s so many other things to think about.

The Christmas program will be Friday afternoon, with the gift exchange after. I’m worried about that, because Mama says there’s no money for school gifts this year. We’ve used up all the Big Chief tablets we usually give as birthday gifts, which I’m glad of, because I don’t think tablets or pencils are very good gifts to give or receive.

Sister Felicity tells us to bring only small gifts, write on the package if it’s for a girl or boy, put it on the pile, and take a number. Only those who bring a gift get to take one home.

So what if I don’t get a gift from the pile? Some of them aren’t that good anyway. I’m planning to get Mama’s wine glass this Saturday. Last Saturday, I went downtown with Sonny, making sure it was still there. It was, even prettier than I remembered.

On the way home, we stopped outside the movie theater to look at pictures under glass windows. There’s a big poster announcing a new Shirley Temple movie coming for the holidays. Only I won’t be seeing it. I have no money left, only the dime saved for Mama’s gift.

I stand and look at Shirley’s picture for a long time till Sonny complains. “You’ve looked at Shirley long enough. I’m getting cold.”

It doesn’t matter if I don’t get to see this movie, because pretty soon Shirley Temple will be right in my house. She’ll be with me all the time.