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The Josephs’ Christmas
by [?]

The month before Christmas was always the most exciting and mysterious time in the Joseph household. Such scheming and planning, such putting of curly heads together in corners, such counting of small hoards, such hiding and smuggling of things out of sight, as went on among the little Josephs!

There were a good many of them, and very few of the pennies; hence the reason for so much contriving and consulting. From fourteen-year-old Mollie down to four-year-old Lennie there were eight small Josephs in all in the little log house on the prairie; so that when each little Joseph wanted to give a Christmas box to each of the other little Josephs, and something to Father and Mother Joseph besides, it is no wonder that they had to cudgel their small brains for ways and means thereof.

Father and Mother were always discreetly blind and silent through December. No questions were asked no matter what queer things were done. Many secret trips to the little store at the railway station two miles away were ignored, and no little Joseph was called to account because he or she looked terribly guilty when somebody suddenly came into the room. The air was simply charged with secrets.

Sister Mollie was the grand repository of these; all the little Josephs came to her for advice and assistance. It was Mollie who for troubled small brothers and sisters did such sums in division as this: How can I get a ten-cent present for Emmy and a fifteen-cent one for Jimmy out of eighteen cents? Or, how can seven sticks of candy be divided among eight people so that each shall have one? It was Mollie who advised regarding the purchase of ribbon and crepe paper. It was Mollie who put the finishing touches to most of the little gifts. In short, all through December Mollie was weighed down under an avalanche of responsibility. It speaks volumes for her sagacity and skill that she never got things mixed up or made any such terrible mistake as letting one little Joseph find out what another was going to give him. “Dead” secrecy was the keystone of all plans and confidences.

During this particular December the planning and contriving had been more difficult and the results less satisfactory than usual. The Josephs were poor at any time, but this winter they were poorer than ever. The crops had failed in the summer, and as a consequence the family were, as Jimmy said, “on short commons.” But they made the brave best of their small resources, and on Christmas Eve every little Joseph went to bed with a clear conscience, for was there not on the corner table in the kitchen a small mountain of tiny–sometimes very tiny–gifts labelled with the names of recipients and givers, and worth their weight in gold if love and good wishes count for anything?

It was beginning to snow when the small small Josephs went to bed, and when the big small Josephs climbed the stairs it was snowing thickly. Mr. and Mrs. Joseph sat before the fire and listened to the wind howling about the house.

“I’m glad I’m not driving over the prairie tonight,” said Mr. Joseph. “It’s quite a storm. I hope it will be fine tomorrow, for the children’s sake. They’ve set their hearts on having a sleigh ride, and it will be too bad if they can’t have it when it’s about all the Christmas they’ll have this year. Mary, this is the first Christmas since we came west that we couldn’t afford some little extras for them, even if ’twas only a box of nuts and candy.”

Mrs. Joseph sighed over Jimmy’s worn jacket which she was mending. Then she smiled.

“Never mind, John. Things will be better next Christmas, we’ll hope. The children will not mind, bless their hearts. Look at all the little knick-knacks they’ve made for each other. Last week when I was over at Taunton, Mr. Fisher had his store all gayified up,’ as Jim says, with Christmas presents. I did feel that I’d ask nothing better than to go in and buy all the lovely things I wanted, just for once, and give them to the children tomorrow morning. They’ve never had anything really nice for Christmas. But there! We’ve all got each other and good health and spirits, and a Christmas wouldn’t be much without those if we had all the presents in the world.”