Credit: Getty Images.

There was never enough room in our house at Christmas: for the tree, for hanging stockings because we had no mantelpiece (because we had no fireplace); for the decorations, because we couldn’t put tape on the plaster walls; for the presents, either to hide before the big day, or to put away after enough time had passed. Not enough chairs, not enough room around the table, not enough counter space for decorating cookies or kneading dough or storing all the treats.

There was never enough money: for the “wow” kind of gifts that our neighbors and friends might brag about when we were back in school, for the frivolous surprises of a Disneyland vacation or sparkly jewelry for Mom or a flashy red coat with fur trim or new bicycles for the........

© Times Union