Little Brown Lady

Pull up a seat, sit down, snuggle in and get ready
Because I'm going to tell the story of...
The Little Brown Lady!

When I was growing up we didnt have much money for gifts and such. My mom and dad did their best, but like many, sometimes on Christmas we got gifts from Salvation Army or similar which my brother and I loved. So, my mom (the original Little Brown Lady!!) would do the best she could for Christmas, but she figured out after Christmas Sales were where you could get some great discount and clearance stuff.
Underwear and socks, bras too always grace the tree as ornaments, because who doesn’t need those year after year?

So after Christmas she would go shopping and the "Little Brown Lady", who was a Santa helper who would place the gifts on the front porch in a black trash bag. So, why on the porch? Because she wasnt some super magical person who could B&E into the house and she hated wrapping gifts.

So, she put them in a trash bag to protect the presents against bad people looking to steal them since, afterall, who steals trash?

Sometimes the LBL would be allowed in the house (with a secret key of some sort and a note of permission) and would decorate the tree with underwear, socks and treats (equivalent to a stocking). But it was way less odd to see a little brown lady in our neighborhood than an big white guy... lol

The LBL was way too good to let it fade into my memory. My eldest wa introduced young and my bonus kid once we became a family a few years later.

They are 18 and 16 now. The day has less sparkle, and a little less cheer because they are less interested in family and more interested in friends. I'm told they'll turn around as they get older so, I'll be looking forward to that tradition continuing.