We would get one toy — mine was usually a doll. Frankie would get a truck or guns-with-holster. Anything else was homemade clothes or socks and underwear. That was when I would get my new flannel nightgown for that year — homemade.
I would save up the coffee cans all year. The week before Christmas, I would bake cookies. I’d wrap the cans in pretty paper and cut circles for dividers. In a big can, I would layer cookies, nuts, and candy — put a bow on it. That is what we would give to the kids for Christmas — couldn’t afford to buy gifts. It was so much fun to do. It was more fun to do that than to get a gift — it was a tradition.