Far across the waters, the Korean War was raging. Two telegrams had arrived stating that my brother (an Army soldier) had been wounded in action.

Letters of reassurance from his superiors had followed the telegrams, stating that his condition was good and that his injuries were minor, yet…

Actual letters from my brother were few and far between but the ones that did arrive were stained with dried mud and one even had chewing gum applied to seal it shut. My mother, who was usually quite reserved, wept openly when she received that one.

Our farmhouse was situated four miles from the main highway. By the middle of winter, the last mile before reaching our place was a mire of red clay mud . The only means of transportation was to park your vehicle and walk. Electricity had made it’s way up the hollow but television was still just a vague dream, and a radio was our only link to the outside world.

Christmas, this year was quite bleak (to say the least) but we had managed to have a tree and a few small gifts, which we opened half-heartedly, on Christmas Eve.

Daddy had gone to bed and Mom and I were sitting listening to the radio, drawing a little comfort from some Carols .Mom had received a lovely silk head scarf from Daddy and she was very pleased with it. She sat with it folded in her hands as we listened to the sweet music.The only other sounds were the crackling of the fire in the wood stove and the soft snores coming from Daddy’s bedroom.

Suddenly, a new sound was heard…. a tiny scratching at the front door!! Mom and I both startled and looked toward the door.

Through the glass top of the door, WE SAW A FACE!!

Mom let out a scream that chilled me to the bone and her scarf went flying across the room.

Faster than one could imagine, she was across the room with the door opened and my brother in her arms.

Yes, that was the best Christmas ever.