urrr!!! Irene shivered and snuggled closer to 

her older sister June. Pulling their bed sheets 

made from cotton flour sacks tightly around 

them, Irene tried to distract herself from the 

fierce cold, which had formed a thick layer of ice 

inside their bedroom window. Winter was harsh 

in North Dakota where Irene’s young, widowed 

mother worked hard to care for her three 

children and their large farm.

     Each member of the family was expected to 

do their part. Mother worked on the farm and 

cooked meals for the family and farmers. 

Kermit, the oldest, worked the farm and took 

care of the livestock, June, who had more 

delicate health did most of the housework and 

laundry, while Irene, who was stronger, chopped 

wood, churned butter and did other manual 

jobs. 

     By bedtime they were all tired and ready for 

sleep. Except tonight Irene could not sleep. 

Christmas was only a few days away, but there 

was no money for presents. 

    Irene remembered the years since her Daddy 

died. He died when she was five years old and 

now she was ten. Every Christmas, Irene’s family 

walked two miles into town to enjoy the 

beautifully decorated Christmas tree inside the 

Lutheran Church.

     Many other church members also gathered 

there and brought along their nicely wrapped 

presents to open together around the tree.       

Each year, Irene and her family sat quietly on 

their pew watching the delighted faces of 

families opening their Christmas presents. “It’s 

silly for me to even wish for anything this 

year.” Irene sighed, closing her sleepy eyes.

      Morning came early on the farm. There 

were chores to be done before the walk to 

school. Irene slipped her dress over her head. 

She only had two dresses. One was for church 

and one was for weekdays and school. She 

tried to be careful not to get it too wet or 

dirty doing chores outside or trudging through 

the thick snow on the way to school. 

     Kermit was tall and lanky and stayed several 

steps ahead of June and Irene as they walked the 

two miles to school. Irene could walk fast but she 

walked slower for June’s sake.

     Coming to a small icy creek, Kermit quickly 

jumped over with his long, athletic legs. Looking 

back at June he grinned. “Hey, I dare you to jump 

over.” Kermit had a way of getting June to do things 

she would not think of doing on her own. 

      June’s competitive streak kicked in and she 

attempted to jump the creek. Her short legs did 

not quite reach the other side and her feet hit the 

ice, which was not as solid as it appeared. 

Slipping in the frigid water, the bottom half of her 

dress and her shoes became drenched. 

     The high-pitched squeals and spectacle June 

made caused Irene to laugh uncontrollably. “Why 

on earth did you do it?” she giggled. “Even I 

know better than to accept a dare like that.” 

      “Oh shush.” June said, shivering as she 

climbed out of the creek, trying to wring out her 

skirt. Huffing past Kermit, June walked as 

quickly as she could to arrive at school. Glancing 

over at Irene, she cracked a smile. “That was a 

pretty dumb thing to do,” she admitted 

sheepishly. They arrived just in time for school 

to start.

     Howling winds shook the windows of the 

schoolhouse.   A blizzard was coming. Most of 

the children lived in town nearby and could 

easily get home, but Irene and her siblings 

would have to wait out the storm at the school 

house or stay at their teacher’s nearby home 

overnight until the storm was over. Irene 

thought about how worried her Mother would 

be when they did not return home that night.