\u201cJoy to the world!\u201d rang from the radio on the kitchen counter, but I wasn\u2019t feeling it. Not this year. I opened the freezer and took out some hamburger to defrost for dinner. My husband, Dale, wandered in from the office he\u2019d set up in our bedroom and peeked over my shoulder. \u201cNot hamburger again!\u201d he groaned.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, hamburger. Again.\u201d He looked so tired. \u201cTake a break, honey,\u201d I said, kissing him on the cheek. \u201cDinner will be ready soon.\u201d<\/p>\n
For the past year, my husband had been struggling to keep his new business going\u2014a magazine called California Diving News<\/em>. But despite all his hard work, we were barely keeping our heads above water. That phrase \u201ckeeping our heads above water\u201d used to be our little joke, since the magazine was about scuba, but it wasn\u2019t so funny anymore.<\/p>\n \u201cLet me place those last ads,\u201d Dale said, heading back to his computer. \u201cIf we don\u2019t sell a few more before we go to press… \u201d He didn\u2019t have to finish the thought. Just that morning we\u2019d looked into his wallet and commiserated about the lonely \u201cmama dollar and papa dollar.\u201d That was a line from our favorite movie, It\u2019s a Wonderful Life.<\/em><\/p>\n I\u2019d introduced Dale to the holiday classic back when we were dating. It tells the story of George Bailey, a big-hearted man in the small town of Bedford Falls. He runs the Bailey Building and Loan and would do anything for his customers, but some serious financial setbacks hit. It looks like his business will fail. He sinks into despair and wishes he\u2019d never been born. Enter the angel Clarence.<\/p>\n Clarence shows George how many people he has touched and helped. In the end everyone in town returns the favor and comes to George\u2019s aid. Even his guardian angel leaves him a gift in the final scene, an inscribed copy of George\u2019s favorite book, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cHey, let\u2019s watch It\u2019s a Wonderful Life <\/em>with the boys after dinner,\u201d I suggested. Maybe it could cure our blues, at least for a while, and kick-start my holiday spirit.<\/p>\n The movie coaxed a smile out of Dale, but it couldn\u2019t change the facts. Christmas was coming and we were broke. I tucked the boys in, hoping they wouldn\u2019t mind getting homemade gifts. Dale and I had agreed not to get presents for each other.<\/p>\n Dale was sitting up in bed. \u201cHoney, I ran the numbers again,\u201d he said. \u201cI just don\u2019t know how much longer we can keep the business going.\u201d Long after Dale fell asleep I lay awake, praying. God, please give Dale courage and direction, and show me how to help him.<\/em><\/p>\n The whole week before Christmas, Dale worked even longer hours at the tiny desk in the corner of our bedroom, and I kept praying for courage. For hope. One day I was in the boys\u2019 bedroom helping them make presents for their dad. I wished I could give Dale a gift too, something that would lift him from despair. Then I noticed a book lying on the floor: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.<\/em> Dale had bought it for the boys a couple years back. At once I thought of that final scene in our favorite movie and an idea formed in my mind.<\/p>\n