Christmas Heroes, Chris and Pam Share Their Stories

Today is my final installment of my Christmas heroes thread. I appreciate all of your comments and I would like to especially thank Cally, Chris and Pam for sharing their stories. To the three of them, I have a special token of appreciation, a copy of Karen Zemek's book, "My Funny Dad, Harry."

Here is Chris' story:

My heroes would have to be my parents. When we were kids, my dad made a modest income and my mom was a homemaker so we didn't have much money for extras. But we were never aware of how tight money was as they always made Christmas so exciting and fun. We may not have gotten as much as some of our friends, but our gifts were always special to us, most times homemade and one of a kind so they held a deeper appreciation to us. Dad was very handy and loved working with wood and mom sewed beautifully and was a crafter long before it was in fashion.

One year when I was about 7, I found a picture of a wooden cart (table decoration) that I took to dad and asked if he'd help me make it for mom for Christmas. We spent many hours in his workshop on our secret project, and when it was done it looked even better than the picture. It was so much fun working with him and seeing how much he loved puttering on projects, changing and tweaking it to make it a one of a kind item. And mom loved it - she kept it out on the table and put different flowers and greenery in it for the changing seasons for years. I was so proud that I had a hand (though very small) in making it for her.

They have inspired me to be a do-it-yourselfer like them, and not afraid to take on any project, and I owe everything I am to them.

Here is Pam's story.

One of my favorite Christmas heroes just happens to be my husband.

We have never made a big deal on giving each other gifts because we have all we need.
Don't get me wrong, we're definitely not rich, we just are not into a lot of material goods.

One year we were lean on money so I wasn't expecting anything for Christmas.
Much to my surprise, my husband had built me a beautiful corner cabinet to put my dishes in. To top that off he also made me a wooden stool to sit at the sink for those long sessions of peeling, washing, and processing the produce we grow in the summer.

Then to top that off he made the cutest wooden silverware holder that hangs on the wall. He even did basket weaving (with thin wood pieces) in it.
He didn't have extra money for stain so he had to mix several left over colors together for a one of a kind color. A pretty cherry look.

Yep, that ole FarmMan of mine is one of a kind Christmas hero to me!