When I was a kid, my parents would work a couple different jobs of peace trying to make ends meet.

And when Christmas rolled around, we didn't have any extra money for presents.

We always had really fun Christmases and we'd spend spend it with the family, and I really enjoyed it,

but I didn't get anything for Christmas for quite a few years.

And I always heard that Santa Claus brought presents to good kids, so I figured I must be a bad kid since I didn't get anything.

I remember one year, came downstairs and I looked

underneath the Christmas lamp. We would decorate a lamp because we couldn't

afford to get a tree. I looked underneath the Christmas lamp and there was

newspaper wrapping all around something and it said Otis on the outside. So I went

ahead and I opened it up and I was all excited. I got my

first present and it was a blue ball and I just couldn't believe it. I had my own toy. Up to this

point I was playing with the neighbor's toys. I didn't have my own toys. This is the first thing

I ever had of my own. So all year long I'm just playing with this thing. I'm throwing it up against the barn.

I'm rolling it down the driveway.

I'm bouncing it up and down on the sidewalk,

just really enjoying it.

Somewhere along the line, probably in October,

I lost my blue ball.

And I was pretty upset about it

because it was the first and only toy I ever had. But I started thinking, you know,

I was pretty good last year and I got something. I've been pretty good this year. Maybe if I hunkered

down and do all my chores and, you know, I'm a good boy, maybe I'll get something for Christmas.

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