'Tis The Season: A Wattpad Christmas Countdown

The Lights of December

Day 2
{written by GracelynCate}

December 1931

It was the Great Depression and yet the little town of Portsmouth was glowing with joy for the first time since the stock market crash hit. While the world was filled with grief every dismal day, Christmas decided to come to visit for a small season and upon its arrival, distributed to the people the missing smiles, laughter, and contentment. Snow had dusted the rooftops of each small home and covered the grass like a cotton blanket, Icy cold winds froze lakes over so that the children could go skating and boats could go into hibernation, and the town was all aglow and decorated instantly with the lights of years past. Funds and assurance may have been absent, but joy and cheer had come to momentarily replace them. Bills pilled up sky high in the homes of many, yet it no longer affected the adults of the household with its spell of overwhelming doom, but instead was ignored almost completely. The only worry in anyone's mind was how in the world they would purchase Christmas presents.

It was, in fact, the biggest problem for little Clarence Williamson. With his dad out of a job, dinner rations small, and an ever-approaching holiday, the small boy was determined more than ever to make his parents smile. Christmas had done good for them already, but at times the season's joy would fade and bills would be paid, pennies scrounged for, and oatmeal stretched, thus depressing his parents before he reminded them of how amazing the tree appeared.

So, Clarence, only a good seven years old, took it upon himself to buy his parents a Christmas present for the first time in his life. He had pondered what to get them for the longest time, but soon realized that it was a matter of how to get the present that was the problem. He couldn't ask for chores, for his earnings would be out of his parents' pockets, so it had to be something done outside of his home.

And then, it dawned on him.

He would hang up his neighbors' lights.

After all, besides being a brilliant idea, it was an entirely necessary task, as no outdoor lights were hung in his neighborhood at all. Men were always out to attempt in finding work and the women hadn't the slightest clue in how to hang them like their husbands, so Clarence would most definitely prove helpful. He had helped his father hang lights before, and had been quite good at it, thus making him the perfect candidate for the task.

Clarence set out one lovely white December morning, all bundled up in his winter apparel, with a coat pocket full of nails and a small hammer hidden behind his back. He bid his mother a goodbye and walked to the end of the block, where he would start his first day of work.

The first house, the Perkins' place, refused him, although he lowered his price—a dime—down to a mere three pennies. Discouraged yet all the more determined, young Clarence walked towards the next home.

Again and again, Clarence was refused. After visiting every house on his side of the street and receiving a million excuses and some frowns, Clarence stumbled on over to the other side of the street, his confidence now faltering and the nails jingling in his pocket. He approached a small pale yellow house and knocked on the coffee colored door.

Mrs. Mildred, who had been seated upon a chair at her kitchen table with her guest, Mrs. Peterson, heard this knock and was forced out of the conversation she was having with her friend over tea. "I'll be right back, Margaret," Mrs. Mildred assured, standing from her chair and smoothing down her warm hazelnut colored dress, "Just you wait here."