Deseret News
‘Christmas I Remember Best’
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Michael Probst, Associated Press
By Sandra Beecroft Allen
This is the fourth of 10 essays selected to be published in the Deseret News annual Christmas writing contest, “Christmas I Remember Best.”
During World War II our father was killed in a tragic accident while he worked at the large copper smelter in Douglas, Arizona. This left my widowed mother, Ruth Beecroft, with nine children to raise on her own. Times were tough and money was scarce. The Christmas I Remember Best was in 1946; we called it “The Giving Christmas.”
I had a wonderful older brother named Robert who was often called “Bob.” Bob was a star in our family. As a high school student, Bob had an outgoing personality, a great “Mickey Rooney” smile, and a disposition to match. He was well liked and considered “popular,” so I listened carefully to everything he said.