by S. Murray

Created on: October 18, 2008

"The Angel Doll"

Amanda was three years old when she first saw Maggie, "The Angel Doll". Maggie was sitting under a Christmas tree in a store window that was near the old apartment building where the little girl lived. Amanda just knew inside her heart that Maggie was the name of the doll and she really wanted to hold her. She peered into the cold window, cupping her tiny little hands around her face so that she could see the little doll. Her mother pulled on her coat and told her to get moving so that they could get home before dark because the neighborhood was less than desirable. Linda was young, about 20 and already looked worn from life. Amanda's father was no where in sight, he had left as soon as he found out she was on the way. Life was hard on the young mother and most nights she would drink herself into a stupor so that she did not have to worry about tomorrow.

The store, where the angel doll was displayed, sponsored a Christmas party at the nearby Church and offered the children of the neighborhood an opportunity to have a little fun and still learn the true meaning of Christmas. Each child that attended the party would be given a wrapped gift. Linda had heard about the party through the babysitter and decided that she would ask Marie to take the little girl because it was the only gift that she would be receiving that year, there was no money for anything else.

The day of the party arrived and Amanda was very excited. Amanda asked Marie if she could dress up in her "best" clothes, the sitter agreed and helped her to put on the old lace dress she had in her closet. The dress was about 2 sizes too big but that didn't bother Amanda, it made her feel like a princess. The outfit was completed with the blue tennis shoes and her coat. When they arrived at the church, there were about 100 children already there and all were looking excited. The church was decorated, a sparkling tree sat in the center of the room where the party was being held. Amanda liked the shining tree but was drawn to the alter in the sanctuary where a manger scene had been set up to show baby Jesus to the world. Her tiny hands reached for the doll in the manger but stopped when one of the older ladies,chaperoning, told her she could not touch the baby because it would not be proper. Amanda wandered back to the party and waited patiently to be told what to do next.

All of the children heard the Christmas story of Jesus, were given treats, played games, sang Christmas songs, and finally

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