When I deliver parcels for the Santa Claus Fund, I’ll be thinking of all those mothers from the old neighbourhood, plus my mom, too. Like those moms, the Fund went a long way to deliver joy and strengthen the community.
In Grade 5, my little sister, Ethel, entered her name in a school draw and won the spruce tree, decorated by students, displayed in the school foyer. A beauty, at least six feet tall. By then we didn’t have a car and Ethel, determined to take it home, dragged it from the foyer, across the street, up a hill, through the slushy hydro field, across another street and into our townhouse.
As for gifts, we lived in public housing and, after my parents separated, we collected family benefits. There was scant money for frills. My mom did the best she could. We were happy with what we had because we knew we were loved. Years later, Mom told me she spied Dad outside that evening, sitting forlornly in his car and shivering. He was a good man, unsure of what he wanted. Mom would eventually guide him back into our lives, but he remained out of hers. He watched the house for a while that first Christmas before driving away.
Other families in Flemingdon Park were in the same boat as us. There were always mothers around looking out for us neighbourhood kids. I remember their names: Mrs. Elliott, Mrs. Brazeau and Mrs. McNish, to name a few.
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