[For each of the past eleven years, I've created a Christmas card with a family story. To tell you the truth, this website is a direct outgrowth of my Christmas cards. Now I share with you the latest one - it is from my family to you. -Marvin T.]

Shortly after my parents married in 1937, my father moved in with his in-laws because my mother
didn’t want to leave her parents and there was no other affordable housing. Soon, Daddy
took over the farm as well when his father-in-law was ailing. For the first 23 years of their marriage, my parents lived frugally and saved. Daddy worked 6 long days a week, bought used cars, and fixed everything in order to keep repairmen away. My mother made clothes, school bags, and canned food. Neither had time for hobbies nor pastimes. My father even saved enough to loan money so that others could buy and build homes.

Finally, in 1960, my parent’s new brick house was finished and everyone wanted to see it.
Few homes, at that time, were built with brick and had any kind of garage. No household
had more than one car. On seeing the two-car garage, one of Grandma’s friends ruefully asked Momma “What are you going to do with the extra car space?”
Momma replied, “That’s for the boat.”