Canku Ota - December 13, 2003

Going to the store, the young mother went to buy some milk, a gallon and formula, It was the special kind, Soy it was since her baby couldn't drink the regular kind of milk. It cost $25.00 a can and gallon of milk was $2.79. She walked away with $16.00 in her pocket.

Her son, Itcheeboy as she called him was with her and after putting the milk they went next door to the five and dime. As they went back into the store, there were a bunch of Christmas trees standing out in front of the store, they were perfect looking, scottish pines. Her son ran over to them and said, Look Mom Christmas trees! Christmas trees!

She took one and stood it up, and she leaned over and smelled it. It smelled like forest, pine cones, pine trees and took her home a place she remembered as a child when she would play in the forest. Itcheeboy was five years old and his big brown eyes were filled with wonder and his smile was huge and she smelled the same tree. It smells like Christmas! he said. She put the tree back and they walked over to the small five and dime and were about to go in when the cashier said the store was closing in three minutes. She told the cashier she promised her son a trip to the store to look around and they wouldn't take too long.

They walked down the aisle filled with Christmas decorations, the colored red, green and white bulbs stood out, there were five different trees decorated, each with icicles, ribbon and different colored lights. The small tree was $20.00 and looked pretty good, made for a table top.

Down past the trees there were stuffed animals, all kinds, bears, ducks, penguins, rabbits, and stuffed annie dolls, they were all stuffed in a bin. The little boy reached and took one out and said, this one needs a home Mom! It needs a home!

She looked at him, his eyes were smiling and he said it again. She said Itcheeboy, the bear will miss his family here in the store, all of those others will miss them. He looked at all of them laying there and said, Yeah, it is time for them to go to bed. Half the store lights went off, and some of the clerks were restocking the shelves.

Itcheeboy went up to one young white girl with blond hair, maybe she was 18 or so, her hair was all bushy, her pony tail was crooked. She looked tired. Itcheeboy asked her, Are you getting Christmas stuff? She was standing there putting Dawn detergent back on the shelf. She didn't say anything to him, just continued working. Itcheeboy stood next to her and pulled on her store apron, ARE YOU GETTING CHRISTMAS STUFF? He said loudly. His eyes were lit up and bright, twinkling and he smiled real big for her. She looked down at him and smiled back and said, I am!

Itcheeboy looked at her and said, We are going to buy Christmas stuff tomorrow!

Itcheeboy saw the toys piled up down a little ways and was off to go see them, but first he called out to her.

Merry Christmas! As he ran down to look at all the toys there. His mother was trying to catch up, and the store clerk smiled at her and said, You've got some kid there. Merry Christmas. Itcheeboys' Mom was shy and she just smiled back and ran after him.

Look! He said, there are dinosaurs, swords, soldiers, and all kind of toys I like Mom. Look at these, he grabbed a box with small cars inside and showed them to her quickly and held it up to his face, so he could study each small car carefully. I like this one, Mom, he said. He pointed to a yellow one and said, I want that one for Christmas. Do you think Santa Claus will bring this to me for Christmas? Will he Mom? He pulled on her coat, and held the box up to her face.

She looked at the toy, the price of it and said to him, If you believe in Santa Claus and have been a good boy, maybe so.

Itcheeboy said looking at her with bright eyes, Will Santa Clause come and see us, Mom?

She looked into his eyes, and said, Santa Claus will bring us something, but we won't know what it is until Christmas morning. With that he put the toy down and ran over to the garden tools. He grabbed a shovel and said. We need this Mom! We need one of these. He held up a small garden shovel. Then he put it down and ran over to a display of cookies. We need some of these for Santa Clause, when he comes he needs cookies and milk! Can we get some Mom? Santa likes cookies. We got milk, we just need cookies. Icheeboys' eyes were filled with wonder. He was telling her she had to understand that Santa getting cookies was the most important in the world for Christmas. She nodded her head and he laughed, the butter cookies were on sale for $1.00 a tin, and he picked up and carried it around the store.

They looked at gloves, Christmas wrap and candy, all kinds of candy. He smiled and said Merry Christmas to all the workers there and they watched him as he went round and round. His mother said it was time to go and they walked up to the counter and he put the cookie tin on the counter and told the cashier, We are getting cookies for Santa!

The clerk told him, he was sure to make Santa Claus happy. The clerk asked him, What is your name, little man?

I'm Itcheeboy! Itcheeboy! and Santa is coming to my house he said. The clerk told his mother she had a special boy and to take really good care of him. The clerk said he was the best customer he had all day, he brought Christmas spirit to everybody in the store with that smile.

His mother got out $1.12 out and paid for the cookies, and said, Thank you for being so nice to my son, Thank you.

Itcheeboy crawled back into the truck seat holding the bag of cookies and pointed out the light to his mother as they drove around the small town and looked at the lights. He kept saying, Look Mom, look at those lights, Christmas lights Mom. They drove the old truck around real slow and he laughed and thought the world was great. He fell asleep on the way home and she turned the truck back toward the reservation where they lived and drove the twenty miles toward home. She thought about the 16 dollars in change, but it was less now $14.00 to last them until January 1st. It was going to be a rough one, she thought to herself, but seeing him laying there quiet and peaceful made her happy that her son was near her and she loved him more than anything else except for his little sister waiting for them at home with the grandma.

The stars were twinkling and the snow was bright white and they headed on home and she was happy to have Itcheeboy. She looked up at the bright stars and said to herself. I believe in Christmas, I believe in Christmas. I believe in Santa Claus. I believe in Santa Claus.

At the store the clerks left, but had written down Itcheeboy. What was his mothers name? It is Small Canyon, there are from Blue Mountain. They talked about them, that his family had nothing and they knew it. Each of them went home and said to themselves. That is one boy who deserves a Christmas, and they collected the things he looked at and set them aside for Itcheeboy and Christmas morning.