Daddy had been hurt in a farming accident so there wasn't a lot of extra money. Mom and Dad had always told us that they had to pay Santa so that he could afford to have all the hay and oats shipped in to feed the reindeer. Being farm kids we understood that. Mom told us that she could only afford to spend $5 on each of us so we should pick something that cost $5 or less. OH NO! The little stuffed dalmation I wanted was $7! When the store owner asked me if I was going to have Santa bring me "Freckles" (I'd already named him) for Christmas, I explained the whole story. He listened intently and just nodded as though he understood completely. Imagine my surprize on Christmas morning when Freckles was waiting for me under the tree! Not only did I get the dog but a neighbor had given mom a large teenage doll that her daughter didn't want and mom had made lots of clothes for her. I don't remember what my younger brothers had asked for but the neighbor had also given mom some like-new toy tractors and farm equipment that her boys had outgrown. Even though money was tight and we thought we weren't going to have a very big Christmas it was one of the best ever.