Graphic created by Lucas Seidel Design

One year, when we couldn’t afford a Christmas tree (or Christmas for that matter), my mom decorated a large stereo cabinet with tinsel and ornaments. We would gather around it and listen to music play in place of presents. It became a sort of tradition.

We cherished the notion that we could make our own version of Christmas together, even if the surroundings were a bit bleak. That stereo cabinet was a relic from a different time in our lives; one where we had more means and more food on the table. Then it served as the Christmas tree in the center of our apartment, where my mother worked so hard to create a better life for us girls.

One very special year, my mom scrounged up every penny she had so that she could wake me up and bring me to the cabinet. To my absolute shock, there was a brand new amplifier sitting next to a seafoam green Fender. My very own. My mother still has that stereo cabinet to this day. Every time I see it, it feels like Christmas.