Many many years ago, a teenage girl and her mom didn’t think they could get a Christmas tree. That was a tough year and things were lean.
Really lean.
Hot dogs-and-popcorn kind of lean.
Snow was on the ground and it was almost Christmas.
It was night and they were finishing getting parts for the dryer at the local hardware store.
Outside were the last trees of the season-leaning to and dusted with snow.
“Oh, they smell so good!” said the girl, not expecting to have a tree that year.
“Let’s just see.” said her mom.
All the trees were marked $1.
“Pick out the one you think we’ll like.” said the mom.
And there it was- a perfectly straight Fraser fir.
“This one!” said the girl.
They took it to the drafty apartment and decorated it.
It wasn’t the tree, or gifts or anything in particular the girl would remember decades later. It would be making a decision about money as a team-no matter how small the amount.
And that was the best gift.
Suzewannabe 
That was absolutely the best. Sometimes the little things are the greatest!!!
Love this. I have fond memories of my very own first Christmas tree. I was a broke, penny-pinching college undergrad, and I managed to buy a $4, twelve-inch tree. 8 years later, it’s still out for every Christmas.
Great writing, you are getting better every week. Miss you.
Little sister