When I was a little girl growing up in Wilkes County, times were hard. My daddy was gone most of the time working or trying to find work. I know my parents did the best they could.

When Christmas came, my mom, my four little brothers and I would go into the woods to find a tree. We would bring it in, and my mom would cut decorations from paper for the tree. We all loved it and couldn’t wait until Christmas morning.

I placed a chair at the fireplace and left a note asking Santa to bring me a doll. Morning came and I ran to the chair: no doll. Santa had left us a bag with an apple, orange, nuts and hard candy.

We were thankful for the blessings we had and that all of us were together.

Evelyn Robertson, Lexington, EnergyUnited