A Year Without A Christmas Tree
How poverty took away our Christmas this year
Every year, we’d celebrate Christmas — a spoiled kid with dozens of gifts under the Christmas tree. There was never a shortage of gifts, and I was surrounded by family and joy. This year? There’s nothing. We aren’t even celebrating…
I grew up in a wealthy family. We were hardworking, and money was never an issue for us.
So, how did we end up going from riches to rags?
After my sister was diagnosed with schizophrenia, everything went downhill. My family, including myself, was laid off, and the medical bills began to accumulate rapidly. Pretty soon, we found ourselves jobless and without money. All of this was hard to believe and even more challenging to accept.
Now, we find ourselves here — without my sister, alone, and without Christmas. There are no gifts under the tree; in fact, there are no gifts at all. We can’t afford them anymore.
This is the harsh reality of a flawed system, where mental health issues pave the way to financial hardship.
I know christmas isn’t supposed to be all about the gifts, but it’s tough when it’s something your used to. I guess this is just something I am going to have to get used to.
